Split Loyalties
by Appaku
Summary: COMPLETE: Miaka, with the intention of being a better priestess, uses her last wish to set time back to when she first found the book. However, what happens when the characters she knew are rewritten?
1. Prolouge

"Kaijin." The red light enveloped Miaka as she spoke the word. The deity appeared before her, dazzling in his appearance.

"He's almost hard to look at," the priestess said softly, thinking aloud. Suzaku didn't mind much.

"What is your final wish, Priestess?" he asked as he made eye contact. This was supposed to be the last time he saw his Priestess face to face, and was sure to embed her determined face in his memory.

Hotohori's suggestion flashed through her mind as she composed herself.

"I want to turn time back to when I first found the book."

This was a wish Suzaku never expected to hear. Wasn't she supposed to pray for the safety of Konan, or for an everlasting love?

"What do you intend to do then? Are you going to just leave Konan in the state it was in before?"

"Not at all," Miaka kept eye contact as she shook her head. "I want to redo everything. I want to be a better priestess this time, and prevent such horrible things from happing to everyone. Hotohori and the others wouldn't have had to die if I were just more responsible and stopped getting myself into trouble! I can't let that stay on my conscience! After you grant this wish, I will do things the right way." Her hands were clenched and her heart was racing; her words had been filled with emotion.

"I see you've grown and learned from your mistakes," Suzaku had a hint of an amused smile. "However, this could turn out to be a far greater mistake, if you hold any of this experience dear to you."

Miaka didn't want to be challenged on this, but she nodded so that he would elaborate.

"The Universe of the Four Gods is a world inside a book, as you know. No matter how many times you reread it, the plot does not change."

She bit her lip. He had to be wrong; she was determined to change it.

"Characters, on the other hand, are at risk of being rewritten. Would you be able to stand it if your Tamahome in this plot was really Nakago in the next?"

None of this is what Miaka wanted to hear or even consider, but her determination pushed all fears aside.

"I'm confident that everyone will have a happy ending if I do the job I should have done in the first place. This is my wish, Suzaku. Please grant it," she finished, her head bowed in sincerity.

Knowing he was in no position to refuse, Suzaku granted her wish, and a red light sent back to her world, before she had ever entered the library and come across the book.

It was chilly day- as Miaka now expected, and therefore dressed appropriately-- and the junior high students were anxiously studying for their exams.

"What are your plans today?" Yui asked her, sounding chipper.

"My plans?" Miaka broke a smile at the irony. "I'm going to the library."

Ahem.

We, Appaku and alithealligator, do hereby promise that to the best of our abilities, we will make this fanfiction enjoyable for all fans of Fushigi Yuugi. We promise, to the best of our abilities, to keep all characters in character and to give each one their due respect and attention. We promise, to the best of our abilities, to update regularly... hopefully. And for the record, Fushigi Yuugi and all its characters belong to Yuu Watase, not to us, the fanfiction writers.

Phew! Well, this is just the set-up. Longer chapters will follow, probably starting in a couple weeks. I've been working on this fic with Ali for well over a year, and it's finally time we start posting it. Be on the look out for updates!

-Appaku

I second that phew. This has been in progress for a very long time, and I'm glad to see it starting to come up! I really hope everyone likes it. :3 It's worth waiting for, but we shouldn't be keeping you waiting for too long at a time! Thanks for reading

-Alicia (alithealligator)


	2. Chapter One

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

"The library?" Yui repeated, switching her school case into her other hand. "That actually sounds like a good idea. There's been a book I need to-" 

"No! You can't come!" Miaka interrupted her loudly, and to this Yui raised an eyebrow. Miaka quickly added, lowering her tone a bit, "I mean… I need to go by myself." She had to think quickly, knowing that alone wasn't very convincing. Yui was about to open her mouth before Miaka spoke again, "If you come, I won't be able to concentrate on my work."

"I'll just sit at a different table," Yui said, placing her spare hand on her hip, "if you're worried I'll be distracting."

"Yui, it's not that, it's just…Yui? Come back here!"

Yui had begun to walk off in the direction of the library. Miaka ran after her and threw her arms around Yui's shoulders, causing them both to tip dangerously before Yui was able to stable them.

"Are you insane? What's the problem?"

"Yui, just don't go, okay?" Miaka let her go and a moment later, she was running as fast as she could away from her. She called back to Yui over her shoulder, "And don't trust blonde men!"

"Don't trust… blonde men?" Yui repeated, sounding confused. She was used to Miaka acting strangely, but why didn't she want her to come? Usually Miaka was happy for a distraction.

Something had to be wrong. And as a friend, Yui had to see what was the matter. After making sure Miaka was far enough away, she began to walk after her, growing with concern the closer she got to the building.

Miaka was too focused to notice she was being followed. After all, she was going back into the Universe of the Four Gods and would see all her other friends again. Better yet, they would all be alive.

"Miss, there's nothing upstairs," a librarian called after her, but the words bounced right off Miaka's ears. Pushing open the heavy door gave her a chance to slow down and collect her thoughts.

_I don't know where we found the book. I think it might have just jumped off the shelf last time, _she thought as she combed the cases. "Okay, book, you can come out now!"

Books are not very obedient objects, seeing as each one stayed put.

_Fine, be that way, _she rolled her eyes and slid her hand down the spines. At her touch, one of them started to emit a familiar red light. "There you are!" she perked up and pulled it out and opened it to a random point. Not a moment later, she vanished.

Suzaku's warning about the book changing didn't bother her much until now. _I'm going back to Konan, right? And Tamahome will be waiting for me there. After I meet him, I can go see Hotohori at the palace. Then all I have to do is gather the other warriors and summon Suzaku. It'll be easy this time. Everything's going to be fine. I know what I'm doing, right?_

_Of course I do! It's too late to start doubting myself. _

Miaka roused when she felt the hot, rough sand against her cheek. She had been curled up on a dirt path over looking the capital.

"When I tried looking for Tamahome before, he always found me when I was in trouble," the priestess mused over her next step. "Throwing myself to the mercy of slave traders probably isn't the brightest thing to do, but it did get the ball rolling..."

An image of Tamahome ran through her head, yelling 'You idiot.'

"I'm not here to make stupid mistakes again," she sighed. "I guess I'll head towards the palace first."

Suzaku was right, though, saying that some parts of a story remain constant. Konan's capital was always teeming with slave traders quick to notice a girl all alone. A girl in foreign clothing was even easier to notice. As they approached, Miaka couldn't help but feel a little pleased they found her instead.

"Help! Help me!" she called out, though she didn't feel like she was in any danger. After all, Tamahome would come to her rescue. One of the slave traders grabbed her wrist tightly to snap her out of her comfort zone, and twisted her arm so that she couldn't run away.

"Got her," he smiled back to his comrades and revealed their easy target.

_Where is Tamahome? Shouldn't he be here by now? _the priestess shook. "Somebody help me, please! Tamaho--"

Thrust. Bam. Thud.

The slave traders were sent into an uproar as they were attacked from behind. With her eyes closed tightly, Miaka's heart raced. The one she loved had come, and they could start all over. She could almost taste him, and feel him in her arms.

"Are you alright, miss?" her rescuer asked as the men dropped her and ran away.

"I am now, Tamaho--" she opened her eyes, "-Hotohori!?"

"I've never been called Tamahotohori before," the gallant man sheathed his sword, then brushed his hair back, giving her a soft smile. "I do go by Hotohori nowadays, though."

He extended his hand to help her to her feet, although Miaka still looked shaken. _This isn't right,_ she thought to herself, looking Hotohori up and down. It was good to see him, but it wasn't what she had wanted; it wasn't what was supposed to happen!

Hotohori took her troubled expression to mean the worst. His smile fading quickly, he asked gravely, "Did I arrive too late? Don't tell me they…"

"No, no," Miaka said quietly, looking back up to Hotohori's face. As she did so, she felt reassured; everything would be all right, Hotohori was going to take her to the palace and then they could find Tamahome.

"I'm relieved," Hotohori commented, smiling once more before looking around. "I recommend we leave this place before we run in to more trouble."

"Yeah," Miaka replied, and feeling a bit better now, she returned his smile and they walked together. "So, Hotohori," Miaka started, "it's lucky you left the palace, otherwise I might have been in real trouble." She motioned with her hand towards the direction of the palace, she remembering perfectly where it was.

"Left the palace?" Hotohori repeated, at first looking taken aback before he realized her mistake. He then looked pleased by the idea. "I'm flattered that you might see that in me, but I have to admit that I'm only a traveler."

"W-What?" Miaka stuttered, her eyes widening in shock.

He laughed lightly and brushed a strand of his hair back over his shoulder. "You're too kind."

"No, I mean…" _I mean that you're supposed to be the emperor of Konan. But you're not! Maybe… maybe what Suzaku said really happened? Maybe the characters have changed roles…_ She looked down to her feet, once again feeling disappointment fill her. So far, her quest wasn't working out very well.

Hotohori looked down to her, and noticing her apparent sadness gently said, "But I'm sure I could show you around, if that's what you wanted. I have been here for some time… I know the imperial city quite well."

Miaka looked back up to his face, and smiled at him. _Well, he's still just as kind as he was before. At least he's still himself._ "I'd like that," she replied.

Glad that he was able to do something for her, Hotohori took her out of the shady part of town in order to introduce her to the more respectable parts, leading her towards the palace. As he did so, he chatted with her, finding her to quickly chipper up after the incident, which surprised him. He would think that being attacked would have had a more lasting impression.

"Konan seems like a pretty nice place to live," Miaka commented, hoping to get to the point.

"It might look that way," the young man observed as he watched the townspeople. "But Konan is facing war with Kutou, who borders us to the East. This peacefulness is only skin deep."

"That's too bad," she replied.

"The people have hope, though. They believe that their savior, the Priestess of Suzaku, will come from another land to summon the beast God to protect them."

_Doesn't that sound familiar? _Miaka thought sarcastically to herself. "You sure know a lot about this, don't you, Hotohori?"

"Well, to be honest, I've been here in hopes of finding the Priestess of Suzaku," he admitted to her, straightening up, as this was a very important issue. "You see… I happen to be one of the Celestial Warriors of Suzaku, and I wish to help her save Konan."

_Yes!_ Miaka thought. _This going to be easy after all!_ "Really?" she asked aloud, her smile brightening immediately.

"Yes," he replied, looking down to her with a calm expression. "I hope to find her soon."

Grinning, Miaka said, placing her hands behind her back, "Well… I have a confession to make."

"Oh?"

"It's me. I'm the Priestess of Suzaku. I came here from another world, just like the legend says."

They had stopped walking. Hotohori was staring down at her, almost unbelievingly. While he did have his suspicions, it was still a surprise. _Well, it would explain the strange clothes and appearance,_ he thought. _Could it… really be? _

"I see, Lady Priestess," he raised an eyebrow. "Have long have you been here? Am I the only warrior you've met so far?"

"I only got here a few minutes before you found me," she laughed. "And please... calling me 'Miaka' is fine. We should locate the other warriors soon. I have some ideas where to look, but they might not be as promising as I thought..."

Hotohori peered around the crowd, wondering if they'd be as easy for her to meet as he was. As he spotted a man dressed in an imperial guard's armor, though, he quickly turned back to her with his hands on her shoulders to lead her away. "This might not be a good time to start looking here, though. Perhaps you'd like to get some lunch first?"

What Miaka really wanted was to look around for Tamahome, even though he might not even be in the city at all. The very mention of food, though, struck a chord, as well as a suspicion. "Hotohori?"

"Yes, Miaka?"

"Do you think we've met before?"

"No, I can't recall..."

"Okay then," she swallowed a smile, having thought that he knew her well enough that she always wanted lunch. He would relearn that soon enough. And that he did. The warrior blinked across the table of empty dishes, slightly horrified at her appetite.

"Heh heh, Konan's food is good," she said with a contented sigh. The contented feeling left when she felt Hotohori staring at her. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," he shook his head. "There's some crumbs on your mouth, that's all." She lifted her hand to wipe them off, but he was already reaching across the table to that for her.

"Oh, um, thanks," she blinked. His fingers felt warm, which was comforting. The last time she saw him, after all, he was dead. Right now, he still a long life ahead of him- or so she hoped to make happen. "Hotohori? Would it be alright if I could hug you for a minute?"

He certainly never expected the priestess to be so forward, but wasn't sure how to refuse. He draped his arms around her lightly as she held him contently. After the initial awkwardness, he felt relaxed, and held her a little tighter. After all, this was the priestess he had been waiting to protect and risk his life for. Embracing a girl in strange clothing so tenderly in the middle of a restaurant was sure to attract attention, though, so he quickly glanced around to see if anyone was watching to get him in trouble. "We should get going now, Miaka."

"You're right!" she smiled and stepped away. "Let's go find the other warriors!"

"It might be a good idea to start outside of the capital. It's so easy to get lost here," said Hotohori as he escorted her out.

"Really?" she retorted. "I thought it'd be best to go tell the emperor that I'm here... whoever _that _is."

He smiled awkwardly. "Wouldn't it be better to present all the other warriors when you do? After all, I'm sure they're very busy in the palace, so we shouldn't--"

"That's him!" a deep voice bellowed. "That's the young man we were sent to find!" Hotohori was stricken with horror as the imperial guards started charging in his direction. Instinctively, he grabbed Miaka's wrist and started charging in the other direction. She hadn't expected this sudden change in pace, so she felt her feet lift from the ground for an instant before she hit the ground running along with him.

"What's going on?" She asked him frantically, looking back to find what looked like a good portion of the imperial troops of Konan on their tail.

"Just keep running!" Hotohori shouted, following her gaze behind them and paling considerably. Miaka thought she overheard him say something that sounded like 'Persistent fool!'

As they rounded a corner, Miaka's eyes widened as she had a revelation; "You're a felon?!" She exclaimed loudly, beginning to bawl at this news and call bystander's attention to them. First he wasn't the emperor, and now he was a criminal!

"No! I'll explain lat-" They stopped suddenly. Miaka, still whimpering slightly, caught herself and then looked forward to see what had stopped them.

"You're surrounded!" one of the guards said in a tenor voice, and it was very true. They had just run into what looked like a trap.

"Whatever you did, just apologize!" Miaka urgently ordered Hotohori, who still had her by the hand.

"I haven't done anything worth apologizing for," he commented, sounding a mixed of annoyed and genuinely shaken. After glancing around in all directions, he said softly, "Hold on!"

Miaka barely had time to ask, "Huh?" before she felt herself being swept from her feet; Hotohori had held her around her waist and picked her up into his arms. She held to him tightly around his neck, and he began to run.

He jumped on to a pile of crates as the troops began to swarm in, and before they got too close to them, he jumped off, gallant as usual, using one of the guard's shoulders to jump off of and over the rest of the guards. He had sprinted as fast as he could with the priestess in tow, although once he had reached a bit further and turned he was met with something he had been desperately hoping he would not have to deal with.

"Darling!"

Miaka turned her head in order to see where the noise had come from, although just as she did so she felt Hotohori's grip loosen, and she fell to the ground.

"Ow! Hotohori, what are you-" But she stopped after she saw who had exclaimed the endearment. "Nuriko!"

"I see you've been busy without me," Nuriko commented, pouting slightly; he took no notice to Miaka on the ground. Rather, he brushed past her and grabbed Hotohori by the wrist who was standing there, frozen to the spot.

Taking no heed to Nuriko's indifference, she asked, "You've already met Nuriko, Hotohori?" She noticed then that Nuriko was wearing women's robes worthy of royalty; she fully understood his position once she saw the carriage which Nuriko had been standing in front of.

"Of course we've met!" Nuriko cut in for him, which was all the better considering Hotohori looked as though he couldn't speak if he tried. "We're lovers, after all." Nuriko smiled sweetly at his prey.

Hotohori sputtered a bit, although he stopped as Nuriko gave a tug, leading them back towards the carriage.

"That's not-" Hotohori tried to say, although Nuriko began to talk over him to Miaka, who had stood up and brushed herself off.

"I've been looking all over for him. Would you believe he's just kept running away? But no matter." Nuriko laughed lightly, and Miaka, for a moment, felt her heart lighten. She had missed that laugh so much.

The feeling changed though, as Hotohori was easily tossed in to the carriage, Nuriko following. "Thanks for finding him!" Nuriko shouted through the window as they began to ride off.

Miaka stared dumbstruck for a moment, almost not believing what had just happened. Hotohori and Nuriko? Lovers? Hotohori hadn't looked the part.

"… Wait!" Miaka shouted, running after them.


	3. Chapter Two

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

The way to the imperial palace was still embedded in her brain, but even more so in her feet. Miaka dashed in it's direction rather than after Nuriko's getaway carriage. From the look of his clothes, she was certain that was where he came from. 

_What if Nuriko is the emperor instead of Hotohori? Did all the warriors switch roles around? If Hotohori now lives like Tamahome and Nuriko now lives like Hotohori, then what is Tamahome up to, I wonder? Robbing people in the mountains? _she pondered as she ran. _And if Nuriko really is the emperor, aren't the people of Konan embarrassed by his, erm, tastes?_

_And since when is Hotohori gay!? _

These thoughts would have to wait, as a couple soldiers at the gate of the palace blocked her path. "Where do you think you're going?" they asked with and intimidating tone, even though she didn't seem like much of a threat.

"I have to see the emperor right away!" announced Miaka. "It's very important."

"That's what they all say, Little Miss," the other one retorted. "Give us one good reason why you need to see him before everyone else. We're facing war and poverty, so everyone is pleading for his help."

"I think His Highness is getting very overworked," the first one mentioned to his fellow guard. "He's being pressured to do things and make decisions from all sides, but I think all he really wants to do is go hide somewhere."

"Nuriko? Hide? You must be joking," the priestess laughed nervously. "Anyway, I'm here to help the emperor out."

"Help him out? What can you do?"

She smiled and then announced a little too proudly, "I can summon Suzaku! I'm the priestess from another world he's been waiting for all along!" The guards fell to their knees before completely registering what she said. 'Suzaku' and 'priestess' was all they needed to hear, and surrounding guards followed their lead by bowing as well. The feeling of being honored by strangers was one Miaka welcomed, but she was in too much of a hurry to enjoy it. "Please, may I see the emperor?"

Right away, she was escorted to a grand hall, at the back of which was a thrown occupied by a young man.

A young man in _mens' _clothing.

"So this is the Priestess of Suzaku who has finally come to save Konan?" the young man's face lit up. It seemed that he was very tired, worrying about various things emperors have to worry about. "I'm so glad."

_I guess he looks a little like Nuriko, but this is definitely not him, _she lamented. Regardless of who he was, it was a good idea to make herself known to Konan's leader. "That's me. My name is Miaka."

He said nothing, but merely smiled back. After a few moments of awkward silence, his smile faded away. "Well, aren't you going to summon Suzaku?"

"Right now?" Miaka gawked. "That's not how it works! You should know that if you're the emperor! Hotohori knew all about--"

"That is no way to speak to Emperor Rokou, Lady Priestess!" one of the guards snapped at her.

"It's not?" Rokou sunk back in his thrown. "Don't tell me you need your warriors for dangerous missions or anything. Please. At least tell me you don't need all of them."

"I'm sorry, but I _do _need all of them," she shifted around, and felt quite thankful that it wasn't like this the first time she came, otherwise she would have been utterly confused. "I met one of them earlier, but he left, or was kidnapped, or something."

"Kidnapped!? We'll send the guards out on a search party right away--"

"No, no! I think they already found him," she sweated. This really was getting her nowhere. Perhaps Hotohori was right when he suggested they gather all the warriors before heading to the palace. "His name is Hotohori. Do you know anything about where he might be? Last I saw, he was with Nuriko."

"You can't mean _that _Hotohori, can you?" Rokou stood up. "And you weren't supposed to see Ryuuen! When did he leave!? He's supposed to--"

"Your Highness, please calm down! He and his lover are both here at the palace; don't be alarmed!"

"I told him not to leave, especially when he's dressed like that!!"

This was making less sense to Miaka by the minute. "Could somebody please explain what's going on? I'm just here to get my warriors back."

The emperor rubbed his temples and figured he might as well inform the priestess of a few quirks. "My younger brother Ryuuen-- 'Nuriko', as you call him-- is known around the palace for his taste in men. We try not to let that out of the palace walls as much as possible. This 'Hotohori' you mentioned happens to be the man he's completely enthralled with right now. Ryuuen sulked every night when the soldiers still couldn't find him, so I'm partially glad to hear that he's been retrieved..."

Miaka furrowed her eyebrows as she processed the information. Nuriko was the emperor's younger brother, and Hotohori was now something like his property. She loved Nuriko dearly, but that was more than she ever expected out of him. "He's always been full of surprises, that's for sure. Where is he?"

Before getting her answer, she was already stomping out towards the halls to find his room, paying no attention to Rokou warning her not to interfere if she valued her life. With a gut instinct, she found his door (the giggling sounds on the other side helped), and she pushed it open.

Nuriko's back was to her, and surprisingly, Hotohori was _not_ tied to the chair he was sitting in, although he looked as if he wouldn't be making any sudden movements anytime soon.

"I'm almost disappointed in you," Nuriko was telling him, bending over a bit to be eye-level with Hotohori. Miaka could tell that Nuriko was pouting; it was apparent by his tone. "Even though I've made it so obvious that I care for you, you keep running away! What on Earth could make you want to sadden me like this?"

"M-Miaka!" Hotohori exclaimed at sight of her, and Nuriko sputtered.

"What do you mean, '_Miaka'?_"

But Hotohori answered his question by staring at the said Priestess, and Nuriko followed his gaze, whipping around to face her.

"You again?" Nuriko sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "I've already thanked you for finding him, and I'd appreciate it if you could leave us alone."

Hotohori was looking at her as if she was going to be his savior, and although Miaka was so happy to see them alive and well again, she knew she had to get serious if anything was going to happen soon.

"Nuriko," Miaka started, placing her own hands on her hips in imitation of Nuriko, "you have to start getting serious. Now that I'm here, I need you and Hotohori to be my warriors!"

Nuriko stared at her for a moment. (After all, the first time they had met, Miaka had not had time to inform him that she was, indeed, the Priestess of Suzaku.) For an instant, a look of realization flashed over his expression, but it was quickly replaced with slight annoyance.

"Who are you to tell me what I should be doing?" Nuriko snapped back at her, to which Miaka replied, flailing her arms, "I'm the Priestess of Suzaku!"

Unabashed, Nuriko continued, "You are only trying to take Hotohori away for yourself, that's why you chased us all the way here. But I will not allow it, not after I've waited for so long."

"I'm not trying to steal your boyfriend," Miaka assured him, and Hotohori made an odd gulping sound at the term. "I just need you both so we can find the other warriors before it's too late again!"

Nuriko stared at her, before crossing his arms and looking away, seemingly still unconvinced.

Miaka sighed in an annoyed way, before an idea popped in her head. "You know," Miaka started, smirking at Nuriko, "if you two come with me, you'll be spending all the time in the world together. And you won't have to be cooped up in this palace all the time! Wouldn't that be nice? I'm sure it would take a lot of strain off of your relationship." She nodded wisely.

Nuriko's face brightened just as Hotohori gave up the rest of his pride and looked completely horrified.

"You're right, little girl, you're absolutely right!" Looking giddy again, Nuriko turned on his heel and asked Hotohori, "Doesn't that sound wonderful, darling?"

"Indeed," Hotohori replied weakly, and Miaka clapped her hands in delight.

"Perfect! We should get going as soon as we can."

Nuriko silently grinned to himself. Miaka had a point, but he still wasn't going to act like her dog that easily. Especially not if Hotohori was already acting like that for her.

_Two warriors down, five to go,_ Miaka mentally congratulated herself. _Although by this time, I was sure I'd have three. Where could Tamahome be?_

She glanced over her shoulder to see Nuriko holding Hotohori by his wrists and leading them back down the hall Miaka had just come from. "Isn't this exciting, dear? We get to save Konan together!"

Smiling, she didn't feel that lonely at the moment. The situation was different now, but two of the warriors she had grown closest to were with her again, lively as ever. She thought back over the memories she of them, and how many times they protected her, but trying not to think forward to how much they might have to sacrifice for her again.

_I'm not going to let that happen this time._

A few paces, and they returned to the thrown room. Emperor Rokou was still rubbing his temples, and his jaw dropped once his saw Nuriko so willingly following Miaka, unwilling lover in tow.

"Hey, big brother! Guess what?" he waved in a sassy manner. "I found Hotohori! Oh, and the Priestess of Suzaku is here already."

"Yes, I see that," he blinked. "Now what?"

"Now we find the other warriors- was that what you said? I think so- and then she'll summon Suzaku, who will bless Konan and our union."

"Union?" Miaka and Hotohori simultaneously questioned him.

"Of course, silly," he pinched Hotohori's cheek, leaving a bright red, sore spot.

"Is this true?" Rokou turned his attention back to Miaka. The priestess was going to yell that of course it wasn't, but stopped as she heard Nuriko manically laughing in her head.

_He framed me, didn't he?_ she batted away the mental image. _If I say no, then he's not going with me, or even letting me take Hotohori! Arrrgh!_

"The warriors we need to find all have red characters on their bodies," she dodged the subject to deal with it later. "And they have different kinds of special powers."

"Like Tamahome?" one of the gaurds said to another.

"Sssh, don't say that aloud," the other shushed him.

Miaka face was florid at the sound of his name, her cheeks filling with hope. "Yes! Where's Tamahome? Have you seen him?"

The soldiers bit their tongues, until the emperor pressed them to speak. "I'm sorry for speaking out," the first said. "And I haven't seen him. He's just a rumor I've heard about."

"A rumor is better than nothing," Hotohori chimed in, having also recognized the name. "Please continue."

"That's just the name they have for him," added the other. "A few soldiers have seen a red character on his forehead when he fights. They didn't know his name, but just took to calling him 'Tamahome', because that's what the character says."

"I'm sure that's him," Miaka beamed. "Where can we find him? Please, tell me!"

"Oh, no, I don't think he's a celestial warrior destined to save Konan," he laughed nervously. "You should stay far away from him."

Rokou nodded. "If they say he's a dangerous character, you should take their advice, Lady Miaka."

"No!" she shouted, startling everyone. "I'm sure… that sounds just like who I'm looking for! Now tell me- where can I find Tamahome?"

The guards looked anxiously at each other, and responded, "The Kutou empire. He's one of their soldiers."


	4. Chapter Three

**Author Notes: **This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

Yui quickly lost sight of Miaka when she entered the library. Apparently, Miaka was very driven to find something or get somewhere in a hurry. She glanced over various faces, but something out of the ordinary caught her attention. 

_What was that? Something blue… it was big. Didn't anyone else see that?_ Seeing that no one paid any attention, she dismissed it as her imagination. She thought she saw Miaka turning a corner and followed. Not that anyone usually went up those stairs. What was Miaka up to?

Immediately, the same blue light flashed in front of her. This time, it took the shape of a dragon and slipped through the door at the top of the stairs. _My imagination isn't this active,_ she reaffirmed herself, followed it, peaked through the opening. There she saw Miaka, but for only an instant a red light enveloped her.

_What?! _

Yui stood, shocked and dead still, behind the door of the forbidden room, unable to comprehend what she had just seen through the small crack in the doorway. People couldn't get sucked into books, that just wasn't possible! Logic forbade that!

But after she had slowly opened the door, stepped inside and closed it softly behind her, she realized that she was now the only soul in the room, and that Miaka _had_ been sucked into the book that now lay open on the floor. She looked down at it, her fists clenched in an anxious way, her mouth open slightly.

_This only happens in science fiction movies and fairy tales. This has to be some kind of joke… _

But what if it wasn't?

_No wonder Miaka didn't want me to come._

She knelt down beside it and looked down to the pages. At first, she was almost incredulous; Miaka couldn't have read this. It was all in writing _way_ beyond her comprehension levels. Right? Hadn't she failed the last eight or so quizzes? But that seemed almost beyond the point.

She picked the book up and sat properly on the ground, first turning the book over in order to examine its title.

"The Universe of the Four Gods," Yui muttered softly to herself, somehow recognizing the name from somewhere, but brushing that aside as she turned to the first page. "This is the story of a young girl who single handedly gathered the Seven Stars of Suzaku and gained the power to make all of her dreams come true. The story itself is an incantation, and whomever reads it gains the main character's power to have their wishes granted." _It sounds a little silly… I'm reading. When do my wishes come true?_ She then flipped forward to the page it had been left open on when she found it.

A familiarity that she couldn't explain filled her as she read, and reached a line that struck a chord deep inside her:

"_The Priestess of Suzaku was shocked to hear that the one she cared for most, Tamahome, was now a member of the Kutou army." _

Tamahome? Kutou? She somehow knew that this was wrong. She gently touched the page where the line lay written, feeling somehow disconcerted, but continued reading.

* * *

Miaka felt weak in the knees. "A Kutou soldier? Are you sure?" 

"It's only a rumor," the soldier said meekly. "I've never met him myself."

Nuriko bit his lip sympathetically, seeing how she bit her own. "Don't worry, dear, it's probably not the same one."

"Maybe," she replied, utterly miffed. _Is this what Suzaku was warning me about? Who else could it really be? With any luck, maybe it's like the time Nakago poisoned him with the kodoku. He's beaten that before, so he can do it again!_ "No, I'm sure it must be Tamahome, wherever he is."

"Then we're going to Kutou?" Hotohori raised an eyebrow.

"We have to check it out."

"Now, Priestess, is there any way you might reconsider?" the emperor spoke up nervously. "Kutou is a dangerous place, and we can't risk any harm coming to you."

"That's what my warriors are for, silly!" she grinned and threw her arms around Hotohori and Nuriko's necks.

"Not Ryu--Nuriko," he retorted. "He's not going to Kutou."

"What do you mean by that?" Miaka and Nuriko quickly shot him short glances.

"I mean that it's not safe!" Rokou stood up out of throne. "Besides, he's of royal lineage. He shouldn't leave Konan's borders!"

They simultanously twitched their eyebrows facing his argument. "That... that may be true, but..."

"As emperor, I forbid--"

"Forbid him from following his destiny as a celestial warrior?" said Hotohori with a sharp look in his eyes. "Forgive me for interrupting, Your Highness. But the only one who shouldn't be leaving is you. Nuriko carries the same blood as you do, but not the same power. Only one person can wield that- the emperor, not his brother. Without that responsibility, he has the freedom to pursue his destiny."

The throne was filled with silence as Hotohori spoke authoritatively. _Wow,_ Miaka thought. _Even though he's a commoner now, he still speaks with the conviction of an emperor. Some things never change, I guess._

Rokou winced and looked over his shoulder to his advisors, who shrugged silently. He wasn't really concerned about rules or responsibility, just his brother. The situation left him little room to argue. "I... he still needs to return in one piece---"

"Thank you!" Nuriko hopped up and down.

"I'm glad you appreciate this, Ryuuen," he sighed. "Ryuuen?"

Said little brother was tightly hugging his fellow warrior. "You talked him into it so suavely! I love you even more now! You're such a smooth talker, you!"

Miaka sighed. _Really, some things never change. With any luck, it'll be the same for Tamahome._

Rokou prepared horses and a traveling package for the group as Nuriko dragged Hotohori back to his room, cooing in his ear about what wonderful luck they have to travel together. Miaka followed, thinking, _I hope Nuriko doesn't forget why we're really going… _

"Hey, Nuriko!" she bounced up to his side. "Since we're going to a dangerous place, maybe you should change into men's clothes."

"Men's clothes!?" he gaped, sounding utterly flabbergasted. "How can you suggest that I dress in such an unnatural way!?"

"J-Just for protection," offered Miaka.

"Then shouldn't you dress that way, too?" he pointed to her. Hotohori, caught in the other arm, rolled his eyes and groaned.

"But I'm not a man, Nuriko," she sighed.

"Are you accusing me of-of-of-of!!" the cross dresser sputtered and clutched his chest, thereby crushing his prey against him tighter.

"Everyone knows you're a man," Hotohori struggled to wriggle free. "And you're also a fellow warrior of Suzaku, so if it's in the best interest of the priestess--"

Nuriko grinned. "You want to see me do something kinky by having me dress as a man, don't you, darling?"

"No!" Hotohori snapped. Turning to Miaka, he saw her giving him a pleading look to make Nuriko cooperate. She thought that it was much easier to make Nuriko behave when Hotohori had a position above him, but so much for that now. The man she previously knew as emperor sighed heavily, and turned back to Nuriko. "Please, dress as a man, Nuriko."

"Awww, baby, haven't I asked you to call me 'Kourin'?"

"I think 'Nuriko' sounds cute!" beamed Miaka. _It's not as if I'd be able to call you anything else anyway. _

"You think so?" he asked and struck a flirtatious pose. "Well, since we'll be going so far, I should go change my clothes. Don't even think about peaking or running off somewhere without me!" he waved, then skipped over to his room. Hotohori heaved another heavy sigh, and stayed exactly where his self-proclaimed lover left him.

"He'll find me wherever I go anyway," he said to Miaka. "When I came to this city looking for the priestess of Suzaku, I never expected to find a warrior of such… character."

"Heh," Miaka smiled. _I feel bad for Hotohori to be stuck like this, but I'm relieved he doesn't swing that way after all. That would be too weird. _

"Although, I guess I can't blame him for feeling this way," he said softly as he brushed his hair out of his face. "Our destinies already tied us together as warriors, but after seeing me, he probably couldn't help himself."

_That's Hotohori alright. _

Nuriko came back in the form-fitted pink outfit Miaka so fondly remembered him in, and they headed out to the horses Rokou had prepared for them. After the brothers had a tearful farewell (only one did all the crying), they headed northeast.

"Let's go that way," Miaka pointed up a fork in the road.

"For having only gotten here today, you certainly know your way around," the manlier of the two warriors commented.

"It's a woman's intuition," replied Nuriko, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, exactly!" chimed in Miaka, for lack of a better excuse. _Truthfully, I want to stop by Tamahome's village. If I can talk to his family and figure out why he's in the army, that might help me figure out a way to bring him back to Konan. _A memory of Tamahome attacking her flashed through her mind, and she shook her head briskly to chase it away. _He just can't be in the Kutou army for no reason. He would hate that, wouldn't he? But he's already attacked Konan soldiers… just how long has he been doing this?_ "Maybe we should have asked those soldiers more questions about Tamahome."

"They didn't know anything more than rumors, so it probably wouldn't have been helpful," said Hotohori. "In any case, have you thought of what you're going to do when you meet this Tamahome?"

_Hug him and kiss him right away! _"Um… we'll see how things go when we get there!"

"I hope you realize how dangerous this really is," Nuriko chimed in. "We're about to go to war with Kutou. If they knew the Priestess of Suzaku were in their country- with their soldiers, no less- they'd get rid of us in a heartbeat."

"Well, you two are strong, right?" she smiled back. Nuriko only rolled his eyes. "If we're lucky, maybe we'll meet another warrior around here." _Chichiri met us around here, right?  
_

* * *

Yui, as she read, smirked. _This Priestess of Suzaku seems like she's already read the book. _She continued reading as the priestess in the book discussed with her warriors the situation in Kutou. A chill ran up her spine when she saw the words 'Priestess of Seiryuu,' who they said had not come yet. 

_Seiryuu? That's one of the legendary four gods that I remember Suzaku from. Seiryuu was the blue dragon in the east, wasn't it?_

'Blue dragon' gave her another chill. The was what lead her to this room.

None of this was real anyway, Yui reminded herself. She continued reading. _"The Priestess of Suzaku accidentally found herself in a sensitive conversation with the celestial warrior Nuriko…"_

* * *

"So really, Miaka, does it bother you that much that I'm more of a woman? Were you expecting all your warriors to be big, strong men?" 

"No, I…" she sweated. She should have known better than to joke that Hotohori wouldn't care if he acts more like a man. _Great! Now what would Nuriko _like _to hear now? _"You know, uh, 'sex doesn't matter when it comes to true love', right?"

"Of course the sex matters to an extent, Miaka. Don't be so naïve."

"Gender! I mean gender!"

Hotohori held his head in his hands. "I am not hearing this."

"See? The priestess approves of our love, dear. It's fate!" Nuriko leaned from his horse close enough to the object of his affection to touch noses.

"She doesn't approve of anything! You're just dangerous to disagree with!" he shoved him back over to his own horse. Miaka whimpered a 'thank you' to him.

"You," squeaked Nuriko, eyes welling with tears. "You think I'm overbearing? Why… why didn't you tell me, darling? I… you just want to be alone with your new girl, don't you!"

"Nuriko, that's not-"

"Don't you try disagreeing with me!" he pointed, then turned his horse around and started sobbing. "Oooh, I knew it! You hate me! Uwaahhhh!!"

Miaka and Hotohori watched as he darted in another direction. They turned to each other and shared the same look, which said, "He'll be back."

"How about we take a break now?" Hotohori offered. Truthfully, he had no reason to disagree with Nuriko, as he did want some time alone with Miaka. After all, he had been waiting for her all this time.

"Let's go just a little bit further and find a village to stop at!" she replied. After all, Tamahome's village was only a few minutes away. Their horses continued trotting along, and Miaka was eager to look around and take everything in. Amongst these trees, she met Chichiri and Amiboshi, chased and was chased…

Hotohori noticed her wandering eyes. "Konan certainly is a beautiful country. I feel very tied to it, and have learned to love this place even more as I've traveled through it."

"I'll bet it's nice that you can travel and around do whatever you want now, huh?" she smiled. Fortunately, he didn't notice the 'now', and simply nodded. Not a far ways off on his own, Nuriko sniffled exaggeratedly.

"I thought he was concerned about me!" he wailed to no one. He thought back to when he and Hotohori met. It was during a public parade, and Nuriko had wandered off by himself into the crowd. From behind him, he felt a large, warm hand on his shoulder. He had turned around to see Hotohori with his face full of concern, firmly asking him why he was out there alone, and advising him to go back. Maybe it was their celestial ties, or maybe it was because Nuriko found Hotohori's face just as lovely as he did, but he immediately was smitten by him.

He sighed, with a hint of blush in his cheeks. His reminiscing was cut short by a stranger's greeting. Nuriko looked around nervously and finally saw the stranger's face… which was strange enough to begin with.

"Hmm… nope. Not who I thought, sorry na no da. I better keep looking!"

Just as soon as he appeared, his disappeared. Not wanting to be left alone in a forest with strange people like that, Nuriko hurried back the direction he left Miaka and Hotohori.

Miaka, meanwhile, was just as startled. "Is something wrong, Miaka?" her warrior asked.

_I know this where his village was! _she thought, sweating nervously. _There's nothing here… it's like there was never even a village here to begin with! Where is Tamahome… and his family?_


	5. Chapter Four

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

_"The hills were bare, and had no fields cultivated on them. The Priestess of Suzaku sank to her knees in disbelief. Could her love's family have failed to existed, she wondered. Hotohori looked on in concern, and touching her shoulder, offered that they should eat. The Priestess was delighted to do so."_

_Delighted? _Yui thumbed the page, checking to see if she had read it correctly. _Not the word I was expecting, unless they were talking about Miaka or something. _

That reminded her that she thought she had seen her friend be sucked into the book. Was it possible, then, that this priestess was someone she knew? She flipped back a few pages to the conversation the priestess had with her warriors in which she explained the role of a priestess.

_In order to summon a deity, a priestess must first gather seven celestial warriors. The warriors for this priestess are Hotohori, Nuriko, Tamahome, Chiriko, Tasuki, Chichiri, and Mitsukake. Then, they have a ceremony and offer a sacrifice to the deity, and the priestess is granted three wishes. Wishes, huh? If that really is Miaka, I bet she's doing all this just so she can wish to get into Jonan. _

She glanced over the page again to where it mentioned the Priestess of Seiryuu. _How lucky, _she thought, _to have your wishes granted so easily. _She felt and inkling of jealousy, but chased that feeling away and flipped forward to where the Priestess of Suzaku currently was.

"_The Priestess mused over all the possible reasons the village was missing…"_

* * *

Taking a final large bite, Miaka dismissed the idea that Tomo could have created some kind of illusion to make it seem like there was no village. Hotohori looked on, both amazed and horrified about much she ate in such a short time. He had barely taken his first bites. 

Miaka noticed how delicately he held his utensils, and her finely cut his food was. She smirked to herself, and he asked why. "I just thought it was funny perfectly you eat your food. Doesn't seem like a usual traveler's way to eat to me."

_Are you implying that something about me would be imperfect? _he thought, then answered her as he closer observed his handiwork. "It's always been a habit for me, I suppose."

_Maybe he's still got emperor habits, _Miaka smiled. Their quiet dinner was interrupted as Nuriko marched back in.

"What was the big idea leaving me all alone out there?" he moaned and sat on part of Hotohori's chair, a little too close for comfort. "A creepy man approached me and everything. You should be thankful that I'm safe!"

"I'm sure you can take care of yourself," he groaned and slid his plate over to Nuriko. "We didn't order anything for you, so you can eat this if you like. I'm not very hungry anymore." In actuality, they did order food for this prince, but Miaka accidentally ate it in addition to her own food. Hotohori, however, really _had _lost his appetite the moment Nuriko sat down. He didn't hate Nuriko at all, he just hated being his prisoner. Nuriko thanked him for the gesture with a tight hug, and then began eating in just as royal of a manner as Hotohori had before. "Would you like to stay here for the night, Miaka?"

"I really think that we should get ahead to Kutou," she replied with conviction. "Since I only got here today, they probably have no idea, and won't be prepared for us."

"Right! And if you get there at night, the guards will probably be a little more lax no da."

"Chichiri's right. We should get there as soon as possible, especially if we wind up having to go to the palace!" Hotohori and Nuriko said nothing in response, but simply stared blankly, Nuriko pointing behind Miaka. "Hmm? What's the matter, guys?" She looked over her shoulder and saw Chichiri. What was their problem? It was only-- "Oh! Look, it's Chichiri! Another one of my warriors!"

"Pleased to meet you, Priestess of Suzaku," he smiled as usual behind his happy mask. "I'm surprised I found you so quickly!"

"That's the creepy guy, Hotohori!" Nuriko whispered to him.

"Oh, and thanks for leading me to her," he turned to the braided man. "And I'm sorry for mistaking you for a woman earlier na no da." Nuriko fumed silently.

Miaka looked at him intensely. _Chichiri is just the same as I remember him being. Am I started to cry? No, I shouldn't be acting like this!_ She rubbed her eyes and then looked back at her newest found warrior again. "I'm really glad you're here, Chichiri."

He merely nodded in response. "Should we get going soon, Priestess of Suzaku?"

"Oh, you can me 'Miaka'. And yeah, let's get a move on!" she replied. _I've already found three of my warriors, so I guess things are going well so far. Hopefully, we can find Tamahome tonight… and hopefully, Yui won't have to come here._

* * *

Yui's chest felt tight, and she reread the previous sentence. _"The Priestess earnestly wished that her friend from her own world would not follow her to become the Priestess of Seiryuu."_

_What is that supposed to mean? Why wouldn't she want her to follow her destiny and have her wishes granted? Who does this priestess think she is?_

An image of Miaka appeared in her mind. That image smiled, and then walked away, carrying the Universe of the Four Gods book with her. Yui shook her head, still hoping she was wrong when she thought she saw her disappear earlier.

But if she wasn't wrong… what did that mean for her? Would she have been the friend mentioned? And if she was, that would make her…

* * *

Miaka had just crossed the Konan and Kutou border when she felt a chill down her spine. _I wonder what Yui's doing right now?_

"Are you cold, Miaka?" Hotohori asked. She shook her head no, and they continued. It was sunset, and they still had a long night ahead of them.

_It'll still be a while before we reach the capital. If he's a soldier, that's where he'd be, I guess. _

To her surprise, she spotted a figure not a far way away from them amidst the forest, heading up to the path they were on. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, she thought, and rubbed her eyes to look closer to verify that he was really there.

He was. For what she could tell, he was a young man in black, with his hair tied together down his back. He had a slight skip in his step, and was heading towards the capital- just as they were. She swallowed hard, trying not to get her hopes up, but her chest was already getting tighter and blood was rushing to her face as she watched him. It wasn't him, she told herself, but her feet weren't listening as she jumped off the horse and ran towards him. "Hey! Wait!" she shouted. The others in her party weren't sure what to make of her actions, and sped up to follow her, and she had already disappeared into the trees.

When he heard her, the boy turned around. It was indeed Tamahome. Miaka froze in a whirl of emotions.

"I…I'm so glad I found you!" she finally managed to force words out of her mouth. "Tamahome!"

"Tamahome? Hmph. Never heard of him," he started to leave, much to Miaka's chagrin. "You've got me confused with someone else."

"I what? No," she still smiled, too overwhelmed with happiness to see him. She ran towards him again and reached for the sash tied around his forehead. "You _are _Tamahome! That what the character on your forehead says!"

Tamahome looked shocked and batted her hand away from his head. "I don't know what you're talking about! And don't mention it ever again!"

"Then you do know about it!" she held his wrist with both her hands so he wouldn't run off. "I don't know what you're doing in Kutou, but that mark means you're Tamahome of the Suzaku seven! It's your destiny to protect me, and help me summon Suzaku!"

His face looked even more shocked. "Suzaku?"

"That's right," she nodded and looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm Miaka, the Priestess of Suzaku."

"I don't believe this," he growled and turned away. "If you knew any better, you'd keep your mouth shut."

"But Tamahome, I--"

He turned back abruptly and swung his body towards her, lifting his leg into a kick. Startled, Miaka shrieked and held her head as she ducked. How could he attack her? Was it the kodoku after all?

A large tree branch rustled and made a thud as it hit the ground beside her. She looked back to the tree she was standing under, and saw where it had broken from directly above her. Apparently, Tamahome had kicked the branch away and protected her. "Hmph. With this drought, that's happening more often," he said and acted as if it was nothing important.

"Thank you, Tamahome," she said.

"Enough with this 'Tamahome' stuff. You had better never say it again if you're going to be here," he looked at her sternly. "Go home, Priestess." With that, he fled away, and she only had time to lift her hand after him before he was gone. The others warriors caught up to her an instant later.

"Miaka, was that you we heard just now?" Nuriko asked, and looked at the branch. "Well, it looks like you're okay."

"Why did you run off?"

"It was Tamahome," she replied. "He went that way! Let's follow him!"

"There's just a bunch of trees over there, Miaka," Chichiri peered off into the distance where she pointed. "But it's in the direction of the capital no da. We'll probably be alright taking the main road."

"Alright," her heart sank. Tamahome was already out of her reach as soon as she saw him. Worse still, he didn't even know who he was. _Back to square one, _she thought.

* * *

"_The priestess thought to herself how foolish she was to try and shape destiny with her own hands. It reminded her of her struggles in her home world, where she disappointed her mother and always needed to rely on her friends to help her with her studies."_

Yui's grip on the book got tighter. _Now I'm sure this is Miaka._


	6. Chapter Five

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

"So if that was Tamahome just now, why didn't you get him to come with us?" asked Nuriko curiously. 

"I don't know," she shrugged. "It seemed like he had no clue he was a Suzaku warrior."

"Even I knew that about myself," the prince replied. "The character on his forehead didn't give him enough of a clue?"

"If he's lived here all his life, it's quite possible that no one informed him," added Hotohori.

"Why would he be born in Kutou if he's a Suzaku warrior?" argued Nuriko.

"It's not impossible," he retorted.

"It _is _weird, though," Miaka thought aloud. _Last time, they all lived in Konan. Suzaku said the characters might get rewritten, though, and so far a couple of them have…_

Suzaku's warning rang clearly through her head. _"__Would you be able to stand it if your Tamahome in this plot was really Nakago in the next?"_

_He's not Nakago! He never would be! He hated Nakago! Besides… I know he's still a Suzaku warrior because the soldiers said they saw that character on his forehead. And he protected me!_

She back tracked in her train of thought to that name: Nakago. What if he had something to do with this? She was already on her way to see that man if he was still the same!

"If he's a soldier here, he probably thinks we're his enemies no da," Chichiri continued the discussion. "Even if he knew, he might not want to come with us."

"Well, we need him for the ceremony, right?" Nuriko asked as he rolled up his sleeves. "We could always just drag him home against his will."

"Yes," Hotohori sweated nervously at Nuriko's suggestion, "but maybe we should wait until we find the other warriors to try that."

"We're almost there, so maybe we'll just try again with asking him to come with us," Miaka offered.

* * *

Tamahome, meanwhile, was almost back to his dwelling place and continually checked over his shoulders to make sure he wasn't being followed. It would be bad news if he was seen with a girl trying to save Konan on his tail. As he approached, other soldiers bowed their heads. He paid them no attention and headed towards his room. Living in a palace was full of formalities. 

"Back already," a woman's sultry voice asked, "Kishuku?"

"Hmm," he affirmed and continued to his quarters.

"You had more time if you wanted it," her painted lips smiled with intrigue and she followed him with her eyes. "In any case, you're back early, and he wanted to see you when you returned."

The 'he' did not need to be clarified. He groaned under his breath and replied, "I'm going." The 'he' had far more lavish quarters than Tamahome did. His feet knew exactly where to carry him, having appeared before the man many times before. "Soi said you wanted to see me, General Nakago."

The fair-haired man leaned forward out of the shadows. Tamahome had always wondered why he kept everything so dark. "I wasn't expecting you so soon. Your dedication is impressive to come back so obediently," he teased him with a slight grin. "The Kutou army is fortunate to have you."

Tamahome was annoyed, but had no reaction. "What did you want to tell me?"

"I have nothing to tell you. I'm only giving you your pay," Nakago said and stood, and pushed a money sack to the boy's chest as he passed him on his way to the door. "You seem troubled by something, Kishuku," he leaned close to his ear and whispered. "Did something happen while you were away?"

"No," he felt a knot in his throat as he thought back to Miaka. "Nothing at all."

* * *

Miaka and her party made it to the Kutou gate, which was only being watched by two guards. "Are either one of these men Tamahome?" Hotohori whispered to her. 

"No, he's a lot younger."

"Then this won't be a problem." In a flash, he had taken them down with his sword, not even leaving them time to yell. Chichiri, being his usual self, had found a way to get to the other side of the gate so he could raise it for the others.

"Shh! We'll leave the horses out there, no da!"

"Well what do you know, the creepy one is pretty useful!" Nuriko smiled to Miaka as they wandered in. Miaka took a deep breath. She knew better than any of the others what might await them.

"Visitors? At this late a time?" an cloaked woman noticed them. The group was started, but relaxed when they saw her.

Hotohori was the first to breathe with relief. "It's nothing to worry about. Just a common prostitute."

"Just what do you happen to know about common prostitutes?" Nuriko eyed him suspiciously.

"No," Miaka held Hotohori's arm tightly. _There's nothing common about her… that's Soi!_

"We were just looking for a place to sleep no da, don't mind us," Chichiri waved and started herding the group in another direction.

Soi noticed Miaka's apprehension, as well as her foreign clothes. "You seem very new to this place, dear. You don't have to be afraid of me. I know a quite comfortable place you can stay."

"Oh no, we're fine!" Miaka flailed her arms and tried to flee, but with lightning fast reflexes to match her power, Soi caught the end of her skirt.

* * *

"_Thumbing the pleats in her hand, the woman commented that they were quite strange in their land." Geez, Miaka, _Yui sighed. _If you knew you about this book before coming to the library, shouldn't you have worn something more like what they'd wear in ancient China?_

She continued reading, _"'I will make sure you're well taken care of. Are you indeed the Priestess of Seiryuu we have been waiting for?' the woman asked. Although the priestess questioned her earnestly, she affirmed that she was indeed the Priestess of Seiryuu, and motioned for her warriors to follow her lead."_

"What?!" Yui felt her face get hot with anger. After thinking through everything rationally, 'Priestess of Seiryuu' didn't sound like a foreign term at all. _You know that's supposed to be me, don't you, Miaka? I already saw the blue dragon. _She sharpened her glance at the words on the page as she thought further. _Why wouldn't you want me to have my wishes come true, too? Did you plan to keep this to yourself forever?_

* * *

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" Chichiri whispered to her as they followed Soi. "We're really rushing into things you know."

_I can't tell him this worked once before, _she smiled at him awkwardly. _Or at least, it would have, if Yui weren't already there. I really hope Yui doesn't come…_

"To have already gathered such a troop, you must be very tired," Soi smiled warmly to Miaka, who mentally threatened Soi not to pretend to be so concerned. "Are you hungry?"

"Oh no, we ate recently--"

"I'm famished!'

"Well then, I'll ask my husband to have an imperial feast prepared in your honor. He's been waiting for you for quite some time as well."

"Thank---- hu-hu-husband!?"

"Miaka, it's rude to act so shocked!" Nuriko elbowed her and she was sent sailing into Chichiri's side and he toppled over like a bowling pin.

"I was just surprised, that's all," she laughed. "You just seemed a little young to be married, that's all."

Soi giggled, and then they continued to the gate of the palace. The guards recognized their guide, and let them pass without a second thought. Hotohori whispered, "We're here, Miaka. Are you sure Tamahome is here? It's not late too leave if you aren't sure."

"We should look around anyway!" she whispered back. Promptly, the group was served a second dinner, and as they ate (or scarfed, in Miaka's case), they didn't notice the general and one of the soldiers walk in behind them. The soldiers eyes grew wide when he saw Miaka, and the general noticed.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked. Hearing his voice made Miaka jump. _Nakago!_ "We want to ensure the best care of our priestess."

"Um, right! The care's been great! It's nice that your, uh," she looked over to Soi, who had stood at the head of the table silently the entire time. She had a soft expression when Miaka made eye contact with her. Whether or not it was sincere, she couldn't tell. "It's nice that your wife lead us here."

"Of course. She is one of your warriors," he replied.

_Well, he didn't correct me. I guess that he and Soi _are _hitched! _An image of little Nakago spawns all throwing life force blasts danced in her head, and she snorted to try and hold back a fit of giggles. Her warriors gave her nervous glances.

"Now that you are here, your welcoming party can return to their homes," he said with the utmost respect, but still had backward looks to Tamahome. Tamahome was sweating and didn't dare open his mouth.

"Welcoming party? I beg your pardon!" Nuriko stood up from the table, but Hotohori tugged on his sleeve to sit him down.

"Are these other Seiryuu warriors, then?" Nakago peered at them. Hotohori and Nuriko, following Miaka's façade, where about to nod 'yes' but she interrupted and stopped them.

"These men saved me when I first came to this world! And then they helped me get to the capital."

"Men! I beg your pardon, Miaka, we're not all men here."

"I think your cover was blown a long time ago na no da."

_If he already knows the other Seiryuu warriors, then our cover would be blown! But I also can't let him know that they're Suzaku warriors. We just need to find-- Tamahome!_

Their eyes met, and Tamahome became stiff. _You didn't need to look over here, you little idiot!_

Miaka spun back around to the table and pretended they didn't see each other, but Nakago had already taken notice. "Forgive me for not introducing us, Lady Priestess. I am Kutou's lead general, Nakago. Like Soi, I am also one of your warriors. This is Kishuku, one of my highest ranking soldiers."

"Oh! He must be pretty good if he's so young!" she played along. "I'll bet you go and beat those Konan soldiers up all the time, dontcha!"

"Ah. Yeah."

_He didn't have to be so honest! Does he really? Well, I guess so if the other soldiers back in Konan heard rumors about him. _"Well… wow! Cool! Are you one of my warriors, too?"

"No."

"….Oh. Okay then."

_It' s really hard to have this conversation while Nakago is here! If only there was some way to get out into the hall alone…_ she looked to her warriors. They made eye contact with her to signal they could tell she knew something. Happy to know that they were on the same page as she was, she did the first thing she could think of to get out of the hall. "Oohhhh!!" she made a deathly moan and held her stomach.

"Lady Priestess!"

"Miaka!"

"Ooohhhh, my stomach!" she whined. "I'm fine…I probably just ate too much."

Nuriko gasped sarcastically. "That could never happen, could it?" Chichiri elbowed him.

"I just… ohhhh, I think I should lay down!"

"I'll have Kishuku escort you to a room right away," Nakago motioned. Little did Miaka know that this was working as he wanted it to as well.

"By herself?" asked Hotohori protectively as he stood from the table. "I'll stay with her--"

"I'll go. It's to her bedroom after all, we can't have a man going in with her," Nuriko forced Hotohori back into his seat as he stood.

"But you're a man, too, no da."

Ignoring Chichiri, Nuriko said to Nakago, "You'll have to excuse this poor girl,"as he clung to her arm femininely. "She has no idea how to behave herself at a dinner table." Miaka shot him a dirty glance, but wasn't in the mood to argue. "Well then, Kishuku! Be on your way, show us our room!"

"Keh," he acknowledged them and turned out the door. They followed and left the others with Nakago and Soi. Or rather, they left Hotohori- Chichiri had sometime disappeared, as was typical of him.

"Tamahome!" Miaka flung from Nuriko's side to his. "You have to come with us back to Konan!"

"I'm not coming with you!" he shook her off. "And don't call me Tamahome! You've got a lot of nerve to waltz in here and pretend you're the Priestess of Seiryuu or whatever. I don't even know what Nakago was talking about back there."

"Hmm?" she blinked. "You're a soldier with a high rank in Kutou, and you don't even know who the Priestess of Seiryuu is?"

"Or the Priestess of Suzaku for that matter, when you're one of her warriors!?" added Nuriko. "Now hurry up and come with us so we can summon Suzaku and then I can have Hotohori to myself again!"

"Whatever you're talking about, I've got nothing to do with it!" he threw a fist past her and hit the wall, effectively startling her. "If you only came here to get me to join your little party, you should turn around right now if you want to live."

_I don't want to leave without you! _"But Tamahome, the mark on your forehead--"

"Means nothing! Now get lost!"

_Right answer, Kishuku,_ Nakago thought as he listened to the noise in the hallway. Miaka probably should have known better and gotten a bit further before opening her mouth. He choose this point in their conversation to step out and join them. "Are you having trouble showing the Priestess to her room?" he asked, and Tamahome immediately straightened up. "Lady Priestess, you seem to be feeling better."

"Oh, uh, yeah! I just needed to walk it off a bit."

"That is good news, as I'd like to show you something. Your chauffer may come as well, if he likes."

"Chauffer!? Now see here--!" he growled, until Miaka tightly grabbed his hand. The gesture communicated that she was afraid, so he calmed down and walked quietly.

Nakago led them to the shrine of Seiryuu. Like much of the rest of the Kutou palace, the lights were dim, and it was quiet enough that just the soft gurgling of the waterfall filled the wide room. "Here is where Seiryuu will descend upon us and grant your wishes."

* * *

_My wishes! _Yui thought. _I know I saw Seiryuu. He led me to this book…_

* * *

"Are you prepared to follow your destiny?"

* * *

_My destiny!_

* * *

_I've _been _following it, _Miaka replied in her mind. _And now I'm here to follow it the right way!_

"Kishuku. Come here," he said, and Tamahome stepped forward. "I want you to be the first to strike the Priestess."

"Strike the Priestess?"

"Yes. Strike the Priestess of Suzaku," and clarified and handed him a whip.

_He knew all along? Then he must have known about Tamahome as well! _Nervously, she met eyes with her former love, and he stood still. She desperately looked back to Nuriko, who was crouched over beside her.

"Sorry," he said as he gritted his teeth. "Something's wrong… with this place."

Nakago looked from Nuriko to Tamahome, who was still frozen, and hmphed to himself. "Nevermind, then. Leave this to me."

From outside the shrine, Hotohori tried to push the wide doors open, but with no success. When he was left alone with Soi, she had tried to seduce him into another bedroom with a special wine, but he fled from her immediately to find Miaka. He could feel in his bones that she was behind this door, but he had no way of pushing it open.

Fortunately, not being the emperor in this edition of the book gave him lots of time to practice with his sword and perfect his skill. It was a special sword given to him by his brother when he was very young, and he had reason to believe that it was more extraordinary than other weapons. Perhaps, if he could just focus his life force into the blade, he could break the door. With a deep breath, he lifted it and thrusted. When the blade hit the stone, the door emitted a bright blue light which quickly faded. Unphased, he tried to open the door again, and did so successfully.

"Miaka!" he yelled when he saw her body battered by Nakago's whip. Nuriko, now that the seal on the shrine had been broken, immediately lunged at Nakago, but the blonde man thrust his elbow into his chest and sent him toppling backwards. Tamahome merely watched.

"Hotohori!" Miaka yelped and reached out for him, but her wrist was caught and grasped tightly by Nakago.

He lifted her to his own eye level and said, "It was daring for you to venture out here, but did you have any idea what dangers were waiting for you?"

"I had a perfect idea!" she shouted back at him, even though he was only inches from her face.

"Then you should have expected that you wouldn't make it any further than this," he lifted his other hand towards her--

* * *

_Wait! _

_That's not supposed to happen! Miaka's not supposed to die in this story! _Yui screamed in her mind. _Please, someone stop this! She was so stupid to go there alone in the first place… please, someone stop this! Someone stop this!_

She closed her eyes tightly and wished with all her being to be there. Granted, she was mad at Miaka as she was reading, but more so than that, she didn't want her to have to get hurt.

_Seiryuu, please… let me stop this!_


	7. Chapter Six

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

As Nakago was about to smite Miaka in one life force blast, Hotohori charged in to attack. Both plans were interrupted by a bright blue light descending from the middle of the shrine. Almost blinded by it, everyone shielded their eyes, but as it died down Miaka could make out a figure in the center of it. 

Yui didn't even need to open her eyes before she knew where she was. When the tingling feeling in her arms and legs subsided, she spoke. "That's enough, Nakago."

"Yui!" the Priestess of Suzaku shouted and was promptly dropped by Nakago. Falling on many of the bruises Nakago had given her with his whip made her wince, and she wasn't sure if she could stand up.

"Need a lift?" Chichiri asked brightly as he appeared through his hat. "I already led Nuriko through, and I'll get Hotohori in a minute. You should get to safety now no da."

"Not yet!" she whispered back and struggling to stand up. Though she was wobbly, she had enough willpower to stay up. "Yui! You shouldn't be here!"

"Hmph," Yui turned to her as the last of the blue light faded. "If I shouldn't be here, then you shouldn't either."

"I have a mission! I need to help save Konan!"

"Then is it any different for her to save Kutou?" Nakago looked back to her. Miaka's stomach churned when he said that, because she knew his true intentions were not that pure.

"Miaka," said her friend with a sad glance. "I'll go home if you come with me."

"But I…" she stepped forward, and would have fallen if Hotohori hadn't come to her side to help her. Her legs throbbed in pain, but it was only mildly distracting at that moment. "I can't! Not until I summon Suzaku! And even then…" she trailed off and deeply looked at Tamahome, who still wasn't sure what to make of the whole situation.

"If you really have to stay," Yui replied, "Then I will, too. I will summon Seiryuu."

Nakago, by this time, had bowed before her. "Do you want her captured, Lady Priestess?"

Yui smiled at the suggestion. That wouldn't hurt Miaka, but it also would be problematic for her. "Yes, please do that."

"It's time to go," Hotohori said and gently pulled her back towards the portal Chichiri made. She didn't have much strength in her body to resist, so she put the rest of her energy into calling after her love.

"Tamahome! Please, come with us! Now's your chance to escape! Tamahome, please!"

His hands shook nervously, and he turned around to show her his backside. He had no verbal answer, and didn't need one. Miaka tried to shout after him again, but the world around her quickly faded. She wasn't sure if she had lost consciousness, or if the portal was just dark.

* * *

She soon recognized that she couldn't feel Hotohori holding her anymore, and felt something soft around her. She squeezed whatever it was, and it felt like sheets… was she in a bed?

She slowly opened her eyes, and saw a high ceiling, and bed posts on either side of her. The colors were soft and bright, and the mattress was one of the comfiest she had ever slept in. She knew this place… this was Mt. Taikyoku. The last time she was in that bed was right after she had been to Kutou as well. That time…

Tossing in place, she saw that there was no sleeping Tamahome next to her. She was alone this time. It was a little disappointing, but she had bigger things to worry about. For instance, Taiitsukun. This time around, she already knew the old hag's tricks and would have a chance to make a better impression on her!

After she saw that her bruises were healed and had gotten dressed, she ran out into the hall and saw Chichiri. "Hey! Where is Taiitsukun? I need to thank her for healing me and letting us stay here."

"Oh, really?" he perked up. "I'll bet she'd like that! She rarely gets any thanks around here no da. I'll bet she'd like to say hi to you, too."

"Yes, I'm sure she does," she smiled widely. _Ha ha! This time, I'll be ready for you, Taiitsukun! _

Chichiri led her to Taiitsukun's equivalent to a throne room, where Hotohori and Nuriko were being fonded over by the Nyan-Nyan who insisted that since they were waiting around, they might as well play with them. A familiar raspy voice snapped at them to knock it off.

"Oh, Miaka!" Nuriko rushed to her with a grimacing face. "It's nice to see you're up! Listen… take a deep breath before you see her. You'll need it. Poor Hotohori-baby nearly fainted."

"That's enough out of you," the raspy voice said. "Nyan-Nyan, escort them out so I can speak with the Priestess."

"Really, Taiitsukun? Can we--"

"Knock yourselves out."

The multitudes of Nyan-Nyan cheered and pushed Hotohori and Nuriko out and passed Miaka. They waved to her meekly as they passed by, and Chichiri nodded to her as he disappeared. With a deep breath like her warrior had suggested, Miaka entered the room and made eye contact with Taiitsukun. It was the same unforgettable face; she hadn't changed a bit.

"Okay, Taiitsukun, show me what you got!" Miaka challenged her and rolled up her sleeve. Smashing the nearest plate into several long pieces, she added, "I'll show you I'm fit to be the Priestess of Suzaku!"

"Don't even think about pulling that stunt again."

"A…again? W-What do mean? Ha ha… ha…"

"I already know you, Miaka, and this foolish wish you made."

"All of it?" she gaped and dropped the plate pieces. "Then you remember all those stupid things I did? Well… this is even more embarrassing now."

"I clearly remember every bit of it. What were you thinking, making a wish like that? Especially after Suzaku warned you not to!" the woman raised her voice at her. "After all you had finally been through, you just wanted to do it again for kicks and giggles?"

"It was supposed to go better this time," she meekly replied. "I just didn't want Hotohori and the others to have to die."

"Then why didn't you just wish them back to life?"

"Huh?" she blinked. "But I thought Mitsukake said they'd just come back as zombies or something…"

Taiitsukun made a strange face and tried to think of a retort. She changed the subject, not daring to admit that she might have been wrong. "I suppose you did have the best intentions at heart. You just didn't think through this as thoroughly as you should have."

"I think it's going well, though!" beamed Miaka. "I've barely been here for one full day, and I've already got- erm, found- four of my warriors!"

"Not to mention you've already dragged your enemies' attention to yourself and attracted the Priestess of Seiryuu to this world. Honestly, what am I going to do with you? And here I thought I could finally retire."

"You retired?"

""I would have," she snapped.

"Uh, sorry about that," laughed Miaka. "I guess I should get going to find some more warriors. Do I still get…"

"No, you don't need a hand mirror this time to help you find them. You've already met all your warriors before."

"Oh," she frowned. "I guess maybe we should back to the palace first and tell Nuriko's brother what's going on."

"That's a responsible idea," nodded Taiitsukun. "While I can't give you a hand mirror to help you this time, it's alright for me to give you a hint. Take the southernmost route back to the capital."

"Won't that take a while?"

"It was a hint, Miaka."

"Oh!" she said. _Of course! I might find another one of my warriors there. _"Thanks, Taiitsukun!" Miaka ran back out into the hall to gather her warriors and head out, and found Nuriko quite pleased as he sat in front of the mirror, and Chichiri standing behind him. "Nuriko, what's going on out here?"

"The Nyan-Nyan wanted to play beauty shop," he sighed contently and admired his manicured nails. "Dressing up as a man for this long was really taking it out of me."

"You _are _a man, na no da."

The group heard Hotohori yelling in the next room over, "I don't need any make up! My face is perfect the way it is! Take this ribbon out of my hair, I can manage it just fine!" He then barged through the door with an irritated expression and a handful of Nyan-Nyan hanging off his arms and pleading with him to let them finish. Seeing Miaka and the rest of the party, though, he immediately regained a cool composure. "If you're ready now, Miaka, we should get going."

The group headed out, and Miaka mentioned to Chichiri they should head south. She had never actually taken the southern route and was a little nervous.

"Are you sure that's what Taiitsukun said?" his mask bent up in concern. "There's a notorious group of bandits--"

"Then I'm sure we need to go south!" she replied as her face lit up. _Tasuki's still a bandit, then! I'm so glad not everything has changed… it'll be exciting to see him again soon! _"Lead the way, Chichiri!"

"…to the bandits?"

"To the bandits!"

"Bandits?" Hotohori and Nuriko gawked together.

Chichiri sighed heavily. "If you're sure, Miaka…"

"Aw, don't worry," she smiled brightly to him. "It won't be dangerous. I've got three strong warriors here to protect me!"

"It's not you I'm worried about na no da," his expression fell. "Well! This way, then!" He marched on forward, and the others followed. As they walked, Miaka noticed the ribbon the Nyan-Nyan had put in Hotohori's tresses. It was a shimmering dark blue, and loosely pulled his hair over one shoulder.

_I never would have imagined that color looking so good on him, _she blushed slightly. An image played in her mind of him replying with "I make every color look good." The real Hotohori noticed the color in her cheeks.

"Is something the matter?"

"Hmm? Oh, no! I just think that ribbon looks good on you."

"Hmm," he glanced at it and picked up one of the ends. "I suppose it does compliment my skin tone."

Nuriko also jealously noticed the color in Miaka's cheeks. Draping his arms around Hotohori's shoulders, he said, "I'll make sure you can wear whatever color you want when we live together at the palace. But of course, you'll have to let me pick out some things for you."

"Clothes cannot make someone who is perfect any more beautiful, Nuriko."

Chichiri grimaced and whispered to Miaka, "Are they… um…"

"Only half," she sighed, silently feeling sympathy for Hotohori all over again.

Chichiri nodded understandingly, and turned back to the road silently. Miaka's heart sank a bit as she watched him. _If he's still wearing that mask in this version of the book, then I'll bet nothing's changed about his past. I guess seeing them act so much like a couple might have reminded him of his past girlfriend. But wait! Chichiri knows Nuriko is a man, so what if it was actually him and his friend who-- oooohh noooo!! That's-- that's-- that's--!!"_

"Yoo hoo, Miaka? You awake in there? You look way more red than you did a minute ago," Nuriko waved a hand in front of her face. Chichiri fortunately had no idea what conclusions she was jumping to.

* * *

Back in Kutou, Yui had been welcomed with a comfortable room and fine dining. After breakfast, Nakago met her as one of her warriors, introduced the situation to her, and answered her questions.

"Don't I need to find my warriors like Miaka does?" she asked, figuring the rules for the Priestess of Suzaku were the same for her.

"You won't need to trouble yourself finding them, but they aren't yet assembled," he answered. You needn't be in such a hurry to summon Seiryuu, Lady Yui, because it is currently impossible."

"Impossible?" she furrowed her eyebrows. "Then why did I come here if I can't do anything?"

"You will be able to summon Seiryuu, but not yet. The Suzaku troop will help you accomplish this," he said. "One of the items you need is the Universe of the Four Gods scroll to sacrifice during the ceremony. Kutou's copy of that scroll was destroyed during a civil war about 30 years ago."

"Then we'll just take their scroll, is that what you mean?" she asked. That sounded like a perfect idea to her, because then she would not only avoid hurting Miaka, but she could still get back at her for trying to keep her from following her own destiny.

"I'm afraid that wouldn't work," the warrior replied. "But rest assured, I have a plan."

"Just as long as it doesn't involve hurting Miaka," she sighed. "About that other boy… Kishuku. He's one of her warriors, isn't he? Where is he right now?"

"Do not worry, he is still in the palace. He's simply been avoiding me because he thought I'd be angry about who he is," Nakago smiled. "But he knows his place as a Kutou soldier and wouldn't dare leave."

"I see," she replied. _That means Miaka and the others will come back for him._

* * *

In southern Konan, they were moving through the foothills when Chichiri abruptly stopped. Miaka wasn't paying attention and accidentally bumped into him. "From here on out, it would be safer to dress as women no da."

"What do you mean?" Hotohori gasped.

"The bandits on this mountain don't attack women," he said, "because they are all women."

_But I thought that was on an island up North, _Miaka scratched her head.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Nuriko replied. "But I don't know how you're going to pull it off, Chichiri."

"Poit! Like this na no da!"

"Gyaahh!! Where did Chichiri go?"

"This is just my disguise no da. You and Hotohori should get changed, too."

Miaka stopped dead in her tracks in shock. "That can't be," the words escaped her mouth, "does that mean Tasuki is a woman!?"


	8. Chapter Seven

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

"I swear, Kouji, I'm blowin' this joint today!" 

"And what happened the past times you said that?" Kouji wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, but only made it wetter because his hands were soaked in the first place.

"There was the time I made a mad dash out the back door."

"And you caught cut in one of the traps you helped set in the first place."

"There was the time I tried to burrow out."

"But the floor caved in on your head and I had to drag you out and resuscitate you."

"There was the time I tried jumping out the window! I got pretty far that time!"

"But they only lassoed you back and put in a moat."

"Stupid moat."

"So, what's your plan this time, bud?"

"I dunno yet."

"Uh-huh. You get back to working that out," he nodded and continued scrubbing the wood floors. The red-headed boy doused the woodwork with a pail of soapy water, and immediately slipped in it and landed with his back to the ground. Holding his head, he crouched up into a fetal position and moaned. Kouji laughed, "Maybe that hit to your head will give you an even crazier idea this time."

"The crazier it is, the more likely it'll work!"

* * *

In Kutou, Nakago had appointed Tamahome to tend to any of Yui's wishes. The soldier still avoided eye contact and stomped through the hall to avoid speaking to him. "You aren't in trouble, Kishuku." 

Tamahome stopped. "I don't know what you're talking about. Of course I'm not in trouble."

"Of course not," the blonde man slyly grinned. "You're not letting that mark on your forehead rule your decisions, and I couldn't be more pleased with you."

"I'm just here to get my pay, not to please anyone," he grumbled loud enough for Nakago to hear, and continued down the hall to Yui's room. He found her looking over a map of Kutou with a contented look on her face. On her desk were various other books, some he recognized and others with foreign writing all over them. She was obviously interested in learning whatever was in these books, but his own curiosity about them had already faded. "Is there anything you'd like me to get for you, Priestess?"

"Oh please, 'Yui' is fine," she smiled brightly. "I wouldn't mind the company, actually." Even though she extended a casual invitation, he still stood formally. _It must be his military training, _she thought, _If he's been here a while, I wonder if he knows anything else about my warriors? The sooner I can summon Seiryuu, the better. While I don't get to visit ancient China everyday, I don't want to get stuck here before my exams. _"I think time passes differently here than in my world," she said, trying to strike a conversation. "I'm lucky that I still had my book bag with me so I could fit in some extra studying!"

"Are you preparing for the Kakyo exams?" he asked. Women, he thought, were not allowed to take exams to become government officials, but since she was a Priestess, maybe the rules didn't apply to her.

"No, it's for my high school entrance exams!" she laughed. "Just about everyone in my country has to take them."

"That sounds pretty boring to me."

"Well," she turned back to her books, dissatisfied with his disinterest, "I suppose some people might think it is. In the Kutou army, do you have to take any tests?"

"Not really," he shrugged. "I got my position because of my skills, but I didn't have to take any formal tests."

_And maybe Nakago just wants to keep a better eye on you if you're a Suzaku warrior,_ she thought. In any case, that meant this boy could probably keep a better eye on Nakago, too. "So, that other woman that Nakago introduced me to, Soi… are they married?"

"Yeah, but I can't say it's a monogamous relationship," Tamahome shrugged and smiled. His smile turned a little goofier as his mind trailed off onto other things. "If I just had a gold coin for every soldier Soi's slept with, I could retire from the army right now!"

"Including yourself?" asked Yui in an annoyed tone.

"Ugh! No way!" he shook his head violently. "You're one sick-minded priestess, aren't you?"

"Miaka's probably not much better," she rubbed her temples and blushed at the accusation. In other situations, she would have argued more to save face, but because she wasn't familiar with the culture here she decided against it.

"Miaka," Tamahome said under his breath. In his mind, he saw her face again as she pleaded with him to go with her. _What a joke, _he thought.

* * *

Miaka, at the moment, could hardly contain her giggles of anticipation. On her first try to summon Suzaku she got to see the rest of her warriors dress as women, but never had seen Hotohori have to as well. _I _did _mistake him for woman at first, so I guess it might not be so different._

And she was right. He still looked just like himself, only in different clothes. It was somewhat disappointing. "I just couldn't bring myself to do anymore, because he was perfect to begin with," sighed Nuriko.

The man's face was flushed red despite the minor change. "This is ludicrous."

"We better just hope it's convincing na no da!" Chichiri cautioned them. He had transformed much the same way Miaka remembered him doing. Her mind trailed off to others dressed in drag, especially Tamahome and Tasuki.

_That's right! I have to focus on looking for Tasuki now… however he- or she- might be!_

It wasn't long before a small group of women jumped out of the bushes with small swords. "Good morning, ladies! May we ask were you're headed all alone out here?" Hotohori and Chichiri jumped when they appeared, but Nuriko and Miaka didn't feel threatened by them at all.

"We're just on our way to the capital, dears," Nuriko answered with his usual sassy tone. "Our carriage was having trouble with the bumps further up the mountain, though, so we had to continue on foot."

"Oh yes, the weather is lovely today, isn't it?" Hotohori added in as high a tone as he could muster. "We really should be getting back, though, Kourin. Don't mind us, we'll be on our way!"

"Oh, but I'm so hungry, Hoto--" Miaka stopped herself, "--horin. Can't we stop here for lunch?" Hotohori shot her a glance that begged to know why she was trying to stall. Did she have some special priestess knowledge about this place, or was she always just that eager to eat?

"If that's so, then why don't you join us for lunch?" one of the bandits offered chipperly as she sheathed her sword. "We just want to make this place a more pleasant place for women to travel, after all."

"Really? What do you do with the men?" Miaka feigned curiosity.

"We rob them so this is a more pleasant place for us to live!"

The Suzaku troop exchanged nervous glances with each other. "Well, then… I'd love to see your place! I'll bet you've got plenty of treasure!"

"Now don't make us sound like common pirates," one shook her finger as she winked. When they reached the bandit hideout, though, it reminded Miaka off a pirate ship, what with the moat around the bottom, the decorative flag sticking out at the top, and what looked like a primitive canon poking out a second floor window. _Holey moley! The last bandits didn't go this over the top on presentation!_

At the door, a couple other women immediately began to frisk the party. "D-do you mind!?" Nuriko nervously jumped back, acting as if he had been completely violated.

"It's just a friendly precaution," one smiled. "We need to catch people like this guy here, after all!" Hotohori's expression looked both embarrassed and annoyed as she held his wrist up in the air. Nuriko shrieked as they slipped open his gown to reveal that he, too, was an imposter. Turning to Miaka and Chichiri, who had been cleared as women, they asked, "Just what were you trying to do, smuggling men in here?"

"W-we just met on the way here! We had no idea!"

"I'm sorry for fooling you young ladies," lied Hotohori as he bowed his head. "Now then, what do you intend to do with us?" Miaka began to cry when she imaged them getting their eyes gouged out and then having to--

"You're going to do our laundry!" the bandits cheered and led them off. One of others took Miaka's hand and lead her through the main door. "How awful of them to try to do that! Now then, shall we get you two taken care of?"

"Oh! Right! Are you coming, Kouran?"

Chichiri quickly looked back to her and blinked in surprise, then nodded and followed. In the pit of her stomach, Miaka felt a sudden twinge of guilt. _I shouldn't have called him the name of his ex-girlfriend! But it was all I could think of off the top of my head! Oooh… And here I thought I was going to avoid doing stuff like that!_

They two were lead to a loud dining hall, filled with smiling woman who laughed and sang together as they drank fine wines, most likely stolen from traveling men (if not made out of eyeballs). At the head of the table were a small group of women who all bore a certain resemblance to each other. Their hair was a bright orange, and a few of them had hints of fangs when they laughed. One of them, Miaka was sure, had to be Tasuki.

"Hello, ladies!" the priestess waved. "We thought we'd stop by and have a bite to eat! Nice place you got here!"

"Isn't it?" one of them leaned forward as she spoke. "It's great to have visitors! Please, help yourselves. We've got more than enough here to feed us!"

"Don't mind if I do!" Miaka took a seat. Figuring out which one was Tasuki could wait until she had her fill.

* * *

Hotohori and Nuriko were taken to the servant's quarters, and Nuriko was currently pounding on the door and yelling that he wasn't fit for this. The other warrior rolled his eyes at the spoiled prince, then turned back to see a couple of other men at the washtubs. All around them were various clotheslines and baskets filled with clothes, and the two men had rags around their foreheads and sleeves rolled up past their elbows. 

"Check it out, Genrou," one elbowed the other. "These guys had a pretty convincing get up."

"Kinda did, huh?" the other tsked. "Too bad."

Hotohori looked around, and saw that there were no other men. "How long have you both been here?"

"Ahh, don't worry about it, bud. They let travelers go after a few weeks," the first said and tossed a blouse to him. "Better get busy and they'll probably be nicer to you."

"Not for us, though," the other grumbled. "We've been here quite a while. Heck, I don't even know how it turned out this way! First we were little kids and just playin' bandits in the backyard… and next thing ya know, it turned out like this!"

"It _does _come with benefits, though," Kouji held up a lady's undergarment and waggled his eyebrows. The red-head snatched it out of his hands and stuffed it in the basin.

"_You're _not related to any of 'em, it's different for you!"

"You're related to these women?" Hotohori asked.

"The ones who started this gig are my stupid sisters," he growled and started rubbing a dress against the washboard. "Someday, I'm gettin' outta here! No… today, I'm gettin' outta here!" Hotohori watched his arms as he scrubbed furiously. His eyes got wider as he watched his forearm glow red.

"A mark of Suzaku!"

* * *

As they ate, Miaka was making conversation with the girls, and finally one asked her why she was traveling. _Now's my chance! _she thought. "Actually, I'm the Priestess of Suzaku, and I came here looking for my celestial warriors! They all have red kanji characters on their bodies… do any of you know anyone like that?" The five girls who she had previously been laughing with all fell quiet, and looked to each other for any answers. Miaka thought they might have been confused and added more, "Well, it might be somebody who has a big white fan," she demonstrated with an imaginary fan as she spoke, "and when they wave it, it makes fire out of no where!" 

"Hey, I sorta' remember something like that," one said. "Did we steal that from someone?"

Miaka felt the urge to plant her face into the table. _I really hope Taiitsukun didn't send me on a wild goose chase. _

* * *

Hotohori was currently having better luck as he explained to the boy he now knew was Tasuki what the character on his arm meant. "You mean that no one ever told you about Suzaku?" 

"Of course I know who Suzaku is, and the stuff about the Priestess!" Tasuki snapped at him. "I just never knew what that kanji on arm meant!"

"It means 'wings'."

"I know it meant _that_, I just didn't know why I had it!" he snapped again, and turned to Kouji. "What'd I tell ya? I'm getting out today! I'm a Suzaku warrior, man!"

"Yeah, but how're you gonna get out? Looks like they're stuck now, too."

"I don't think that's so big a problem," replied Hotohori as he pointed over his shoulder to Nuriko. He was still moaning about being put to work and how it was going to ruin his new manicure, and proceeded to beat on the door again. It fell over promptly. Being trapped was no longer a concern.

"Alright! Time to get outta here!" Tasuki made a fist in the air.

"No," Hotohori put a hand before him. "First we need to rescue Miaka."


	9. Chapter Eight

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

"This is getting us no where no da," Chichiri whispered to Miaka through his feminine disguise. As if she picked up on what he said, the oldest of the Tasuki-look-alikes folded her arms and made eye contact with the Priestess. 

"You should probably get going if you want to make it back to the capital today."

"Hmm? But it's only noon. We have plenty of time!" she smiled back nervously. _I need to hurry up and figure out which one it is… but how am I supposed to do that?_ "I have a strong feeling that I should be looking for someone here. Are you sure none of the bandits have red marks? Like, about here?" she pointed to her arm.

"I swear," the bandit said, a little less friendly, "none of the bandits have that."

It didn't look like she was lying, but the other look-alikes seemed like they were hiding something. Miaka felt in her gut that she couldn't give up just yet, but wasn't sure what to do next. Yelling something like 'will the real Tasuki please stand up!' or something else more direct sounded tempting. "Well, that fan rightly belongs to one of my warriors… I think. If you can let me have that, I'll just be on my way!" _Haha! Nice move, Miaka. Tasuki would never let me just get away with that without coming with me!_

"You can leave with a full stomach," they replied. "We're not about to go split the loot with random travelers!"

"You may leave now," the oldest said.

Miaka and Chichiri looked to each other, then left the table and headed for the door. Chichiri was eager to find Hotohori and Nuriko and get out of there, but couldn't overlook the hopeless look on his priestess' face. "Don't worry, Miaka, we'll find the other warriors na no da! Miaka… you okay?"

"Chichiri," she pouted and looked back at him. Disguise or not, he was still exactly the same to her. She pressed her face against his shoulder and told him her troubles. "This is all my fault. How am I supposed to figure out who Tasuki is now? It's all because I made a wish like that that Tasuki's a woman now! I'll bet he'd never forgive me for this if he knew!"

"Wish?" the warrior asked.

"What the hell do you mean I'm a woman?!"

"I can hear him in my head right now," she whimpered.

"I'm standing right behind you!"

She knew she wasn't imagining that! She spun around on her heals and beamed when she saw him-- as a 'him'! Stepping towards him quickly, she outstretched her arms and embraced him. Or at least, she would have embraced him if he hadn't stepped out of the way and let her smack her nose on the floor. "This is her, right?" he asked the men following behind him.

"Miaka," Hotohori brushed past him to her aid. "We found another one of the warriors. "We should hurry and get out of here before they notice that he's missing."

"Not yet!" Miaka stood herself back up and spoke directly to Tasuki. "You need to get your tessen back from the girls here!"

"They still have it?" his eyes grew wide. "I thought they sold that off to someone a long time ago!"

"They made it sound like they still have it," she thought back, then took a better look at the warrior she was just reunited with. "And before we go, maybe you want to change into some other clothes."

"I was going to anyway!" he tore the apron off.

"Naw, he probably woulda' forgotten about it and just walked out that way," Kouji whispered to Nuriko, who nodded, though he didn't know if it was a joke or not. "If you want to get the tessen back, yer probably gonna half t' split up and search his sisters' rooms."

Tasuki left to get ready to leave (for real, this time), and Kouji lead the others to the bedrooms. Being at the head of the cleaning service, he could move around the place with his eyes closed. Or so he said, but did not demonstrate. Miaka was surprised to hear what a vastly different situation Tasuki was in this time than the last time she found him. She felt guilty again, but was very grateful that he was still a man. "Aren't you going to come with us, too, Kouji?"

"Hm… beats me," he shrugged.

"But don't you hate being told what to do all the time by all these girls?" she blinked. He didn't seem concerned and jiggled the handle to one of the doors, forcing it open.

"My buddy back there made it sound like we're slaves, but the girls just like to tease him. We still get our fair share of the loot, and we eat well, and… _other_ things. It's actually a pretty good deal, huh?" he laughed, but his expression then sank. "But it'd probably do 'im good to get outta here. Too bad his sisters are so over protective of him."

"His sisters?"

"What are you doing in here without a duster, Kouji?" a woman's voice from earlier asked. The group jumped as they saw not only one, but five sisters at the door. One had the tessen in her hands, two of the others were at either side of Tasuki, who had changed, but was now tied up (probably not for the first time). "We _knew _something was up!"

Kouji gawked. "How did that happen again?"

"Search me!" snapped Tasuki, obviously displeased. The sister at his left put a hand on his cheek and laughed.

"Hey, Shun'u, we can't have you leaving when you didn't do your chores today!"

"He _has _to leave!" Miaka shouted. "He needs to help us save Konan!" The sisters looked to each other with varied expressions: nervous, angry, contemplative, but none of them pleased. "You have to let him go! Tasuki will be just fine!"

"You can't promise that, Miaka," Hotohori said and touched her arm softly. "As warriors, we all have to be prepared to lay down our lives for you." Looking back to the tied up warrior who was kicking and yelling profanities, he added, "Though he might prefer that."

"If his sisters are worried about him, then you better go smooth-talk them into letting him go," Nuriko nudged him. "But don't talk _too _smoothly, alright?"

"Don't bother," Miaka said back to them. "They just want to protect him. Fine. And they say they just want to make this mountain a nicer place for women to travel. That's fine, too. I can't stop them."

"No, don't tell them that, stupid!" Tasuki yelled.

"But if they make it so I can't summon Suzaku, then the Kutou armies are just going to come here and take over anyway. Then no one will be safe!"

"Don't try and frame us!" the oldest sister yelled. "And it's none of your business how we take care of our little brother!"

"For cryin' out loud, I don't want you takin' care of me!"

"He might be safe here," Kouji invited himself back into the conversation, "but is he happy?"

"Are you trying to complain now, Kouji?" they shot him a dirty glance.

"No! I'm fine here! But then again, I don't got any celestial duty to take care of. Oh well," he shrugged and looked back to his captive friend. "Sorry, Genrou, I did what I could."

"Please," Miaka asked again. "Please let him go so we can summon Suzaku."

The sisters were quiet, then whispered amongst themselves. The others waited anxiously, most especially Tasuki. "Sorry," the one holding the tessen said to him as she offered the weapon. "This belongs to you." The others untied him, and he lifted his arms in the arm to celebrate. Miaka and the rest of her party breathed a sigh of relief.

"When you come back here, you're getting three times as many chores!"

"Like hell I'll even come back here!"

"Dummy, of course you'll come back to see Kouji," one knocked him lop side the head. "And you'll have to come visit us, too…"

* * *

An hour later, Miaka and four of her warriors were back on the road to the capital. Tasuki was beside himself with joy. "Man, they took forever to say good-bye! They were all teary-eyed and 'oh! Dear little brother, don't get hurt'!" he imitated them in a high voice, then turned back in the direction of the hideout and waved, even though it was out of sight. "So long, suckers!" 

"Your friend Kouji looked like he was crying more than anyone," Nuriko added.

Tasuki's expression fell, but he avoided directly replying. "Whatever. Off to the capital we go! And… you can probably take off the drag now, bud."

"Drag!? This is what I usually wear!"

"I think the road back just got a lot longer," Chichiri sighed, but Hotohori was secretly pleased that Nuriko was busy arguing with Tasuki instead of smothering him. Miaka held her head up high, feeling very confident that she'd be able to summon Suzaku and send Yui home without any problems this time. The group reached the palace again by evening, and Rokou immediately requested an audience with them.

"Ryuuen, you're safe!" he stood from his throne and rushed to his little brother. "I was so worried about you!"

"I only left yesterday, you dummy," he rolled his eyes.

"Psst. How can he get away with calling the emperor that?" Tasuki whispered to Chichiri, who only shrugged.

"I see you have gathered more of your warriors," the emperor addressed Miaka more formally. "Which one of these is Tamahome?"

"Oh, neither," her glance fell to the floor. It wouldn't do her any good to try discussing things with him like she did with Hotohori in the past. "Anyway, I want to try finding the others as soon as we rest up a bit."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you like. After you left yesterday, I remembered something that would be helpful to you," he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a red scroll. "This is--"

"The Universe of the Four Gods scroll!" she shouted and took it, much to Rokou's surprise. _This time, I'm going to take care of it!_

* * *

Rooms and a large banquet were prepared for the troop, and after eating their fill they had time on their hands to do as they pleased. Rokou, having been overwhelmed with worry in the one night he was gone, monopolized Nuriko's time so Hotohori was free. Never before had Hotohori had such gratitude to the emperor of the Konan. Doing as he chose to, he escorted Miaka down the hall.

"Things are going really well so far," she closed her eyes as she walked. "When we find the other warriors, we'll try again to invite Tamahome back. Then I can wish for Yui to go home."

"Are you concerned that she might try to summon Seiryuu first?"

_That's right. In this version, Yui doesn't have to think she was raped. That might cause other problems, who knows… but I feel so grateful that it's different this time for her. Even if she _is _still my enemy… I guess some parts of a plot don't change._

"The general we met in Kutou has me concerned," Hotohori mused. "I do not think he'd simply leave us alone to summon Suzaku."

"I'll be ready for him, whatever he does!" she laughed confidently. "Besides, we only have two warriors left to find. Mitsukake and Ch---Chiriko!?"

* * *

Nakago did, in fact, have plans to disrupt Miaka's mission. With out Yui's knowledge, he organized a trip to Konan for a few of his soldiers. "Kishuku, I'll be sending you with them." 

Tamahome grimaced. "To see if I join the Suzaku warriors? Yeah, right."

"Nothing of the sort," replied the general. "I only want you to retrieve the Universe of the Four Gods scroll. The rest you can leave to the other soldiers."

* * *

Miaka had caught up to the small boy she saw walking down the halls of the Konan palace. She called after him, but he didn't answer. When she reached his shoulder, she turned him around to see his face. "It _is _you!" she smiled. "Thought you could get away this time, huh?" 

He blinked at her, unsure what business she had with him. He observed her outfit and the scroll in her hand, and the pieces quickly pieced together in his mind. With an excited smile, he replied, "You're the Priestess of Suzaku!"

"That's me!" she spun him around to face Hotohori and go the other direction. "Wow! That was easy!"

"What was easy?"

Hotohori met up with them and quickly noticed Miaka's hand on his shoulder as if she was familiar with him. "Hotohori, allow me to introduce you to Chiriko of the Suzaku Seven!"

"I-I'm afraid you're mistaken, Lady Priestess," he stepped away nervously. "I'm not a Suzaku warrior at all. I'm only here to prepare for my exams."

"Of course you are," she smiled, half in disbelief that he disagreed with her. "You're Chiriko, after all."

"I'm Ou Doukun," he bowed his head. "I'm flattered that you think I'm a Suzaku warrior, but I've never in my life had any red kanji appear on my body. I'm sorrow to disappoint you." He looked a little disappointed himself.

"But you're here for your exams!" said Miaka. "How can you be so smart without your character?"

"Is it that surprising that someone my age can take the Kakyo exams without the help of Suzaku?" he argued. "In any case, I always thought it'd be nice to be a Suzaku warrior. Seeing as I'm not, though, becoming a government official is the best thing I can do to help my country," he clenched the book he carrying and kept his chin up. "If there's anything I can do to help you otherwise, Lady Priestess, please ask me."

"Oh. Okay then, thank you," she felt her heart sink, "Doukun."

_If he's not 'Chiriko' anymore… then who is?_


	10. Chapter Nine

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

Miaka and her warriors stayed at the palace for a few days. _There's no need to rush,_ Miaka told herself. After all, she did want to enjoy her warriors' company. Nuriko caught her staring at him at one point, and wasn't sure what to make of it. "Is there something on my face, Miaka?" 

"No," she smiled. "I'm just glad you're here."

He shrugged the comment off and continued tormenting Hotohori. Chichiri and Tasuki had learned by this time who he was, and had more than one reason not to mess with Nuriko (Tasuki learned this the hard way when his was thrown through a locked door). Doukun, on Miaka's invitation, spend more time with them than studying. She was careful to watch his foot. _Maybe it'll show up if I'm here now, or maybe he was just nervous and told a little white lie, _she thought, but never saw any mark.

"Should we get going to find the others soon?" Hotohori asked her.

"Yeah, I think we should leave tomorrow morning," she replied. "You don't suppose there have been any plagues around here lately?"

"None that I'm aware of," he answered seriously, but hoped it was some kind of joke from her world. Miaka nodded, and decided they should probably check Mitsukake's old village anyway. After that, maybe she'd try again on Tamahome and hope to find a couple warriors on the way.

* * *

Little did she expect to see him that night in her room. The halls were already dark and quiet when she finished her bath and changed into some pajamas she remembered to bring. When she opened the door, the curtains were blowing, and a dark figure wrapped in a black garb was climbing out the window. Without thinking, she voiced her first thought, "Tamahome?" 

The figure turned around in surprise. Tamahome's eyes met hers for a moment before she reached for him and tried to say something else, but a second later she had collapsed on the floor and was loosing consciousness. Another Kutou soldier in the shadows had knocked her out before she knew he was even there.

* * *

"Hotohori, baby, why don't you look at me instead of staring out that window? You're going to strain your neck," Nuriko cooed, but his love ignored him. "If you want to see stars, they're right here in my eyes!" 

No response. He should have figured as much. Nuriko grumbled, and leaned over Hotohori to look out the window with him. "What's so interesting out there--"

"Tamahome?" Hotohori abruptly stood up and whacked the prince's chin with his head. "What could he be doing here… coming from Miaka's room!?"

"I'll check on Miaka, you go after him," ordered Nuriko as he rubbed his chin and ran out the door. He couldn't have Hotohori going into a girl's room after dark, after all. Without so much as a knock, he flung her door open and found two soldiers, one of them raising his sword over the priestess. As a reflex he screamed, and others came running to the room.

"Rekka Shinen!" The fire quickly consumed the two cloaked soldiers, and Tasuki returned the tessen to his back. It was nice to be able to use that again! Curiously, he walked into the room with the others to see what the big fuss was over Miaka.

"…and then Hotohori ran after Tamahome," Nuriko finished explaining to Chichiri, who was holding Miaka. Doukun and Rokou were also in the room and had faces filled with concern.

"Tamahome?" asked Rokou. "Isn't that the warrior you went to Kutou to find?"

_That guy, huh? _thought the former bandit servant._ What was he doing back here… _"What did he do to Miaka?!" he fell to his knees to look closer. She winced, but didn't react otherwise.

"It could be a minor concussion," Doukun observed. "How sad. I'm sure she'd want to go after Tamahome if he's close by."

"If he's all alone, this could be her chance to convince him to join us no da," said Chichiri.

"Alright! I'll go do just that!" Tasuki stood back up, but Nuriko caught the end of his jacket and made him sit back down.

"As if he'd listen to you," the cross dresser said. "Besides, you don't even know who you're looking for. Hotohori's gone after him, but I don't even know that he'd listen to him."

"Then what am I supposed to do!?" he complained. "If Miaka wasn't all passed out over here, then it'd be no problem, right? Dammit."

Chichiri took on a more serious tone in his voice. "There's one thing you might be able to do, but you probably won't like it."

* * *

Hotohori had swiftly caught up to Tamahome, and stepped in front of him before he could realize he was being followed. "What were you doing here?" 

The younger one stepped backwards and struck a fighting stance. "Who are you?"

"You don't remember me?" he sounded surprised.

"I don't remember random acquaintances that well. Only important ones," he said.

"You couldn't remember _my _face?" he was in utter disbelief.

"Listen, get out of my way and I won't hurt your pretty face," threatened Tamahome as he pulled the numchucks from his cloak. "I've got a mission to complete."

"If it's a mission from Nakago," replied Hotohori as he brandished his sword, "then I must stop you."

* * *

At the palace, Tasuki was trying to understand what Chichiri had just proposed. "Let me see if I've got this right. If I become a 'double' for Miaka, I'll take all her injuries so she doesn't hasn't hafta' get slowed down by them? I'll be a punching bag without even getting hit?" 

"I've heard of this before," said Doukun, "You know how to perform that spell, Chichiri?"

"It's not something I'd like to do, but it's something I've picked up before," he replied. "If you don't want to, Tasuki, I'll bet Miaka wouldn't be mad na no da."

"Well… you could just take the spell off after she gets to Tamahome, right?"

"It wouldn't be that easy," the monk shook his head. "You'd be stuck taking everything for Miaka. It could get dangerous."

"Hmph," he looked back down to her pained, sleeping face. _Isn't being a warrior dangerous in the first place? Isn't it our job to keep her from getting hurt? This would just make that easier. _"I'm a man. I can take it."

"Tasuki! Are you sure you want to do this?"

"It's better than being useless like this!" he laughed. "There's one thing botherin' me, though… if I'm a 'double' for her, then when I get hurt… would she…?"

Doukun shook his head. "It's more like a 'shadow double'. For instance, whatever happens to Miaka will likewise happen to the shadow she casts. But if someone throws a rock at the shadow, it won't affect Miaka at all."

"Then that's alright," Tasuki said. He wanted to sound brave, but in his gut was wondering what he was getting himself into. "Let's do it."

Chichiri performed a brief ritual, and before Tasuki could even tell it was over, he fell on the floor as if he was asleep. Miaka stirred, and wondered why so many people were in her room. "Hey everybody… what's going on? What happened to Tasuki? Is he drunk?"

"You can worry about that later," said Chichiri as he helped her up. "For now, you need to go find Tamahome!"

* * *

Though she wasn't completely sure of the situation, she did remembering seeing him before everything went blank, and she left with Chichiri to find him right away. Hotohori, fortunately, had been holding him up, but unfortunately, wasn't doing so without his fair share of injuries. When Miaka arrived, his face was was bleeding and bruised, and his clothes were stained and torn in various places. 

"Hotohori!" she shouted. "Who did this?" Before getting an answer, she looked up and saw Tamahome's face. Immediately his expression changed from aggressive to stunned. His hands felt weak when she looked at him, and he swallowed a lump in his throat.

Maybe it was just because he was a Suzaku warrior that he felt that weakness, he thought. Whether he was destined to protect her or not, he couldn't just abandon who he was to follow that destiny. There was no way he could- or would!- choose to protect this girl.

"Tamahome," she said quietly and approached him.

"That's not my name, Miaka."

Her face brightened when he said her name. It felt like ages since she heard it.

"What are you doing out here? The other guys were supposed to make sure you didn't follow me!"

"By killing her?" Chichiri added. Miaka wasn't sure was he was talking about, and by the look on Tamahome's face, it looked like he didn't either.

"Killing?" he asked. _Nakago said he wouldn't do anything like that! Did he send me hoping I wouldn't notice? Or was this another test? _"Where are they are now?"

"They're dead," Chichiri replied. Miaka still had no idea what he was talking about.

"I see," said Tamahome, who was trying to piece together what he'd say to Nakago. It wouldn't really matter if he lied, right? Only being told half the truth of a mission got on Tamahome's bad side as it was. Putting his numchucks back into his cloak, he pulled out a smaller item. "If anyone asks, I never saw this," he handed it to Miaka.

"The scroll!" she took it quickly, mentally scolding herself for not taking better care of it. "Thank you… I didn't even know it was missing."

"Don't take this as me being on your side for anything," he cautioned her. "I only need to work out some things in Kutou that don't concern you."

"You don't have to go back to Kutou!" said Miaka. "You should stay here and help us summon Suzaku, and when my wishes are granted, I can make sure you're happy, too!"

"Happiness?" he snorted. "All I want is cash. I don't feel like getting involved with you people. If you keep asking me to join…"

She gulped and pressed him to continue. "What?"

"I might have to hurt you after all."

The world seemed to shatter in Miaka's mind. She clearly remember him hurting her physically, and he was perfectly capable of doing it again. Would he honestly do it without the influence of kodoku? Knowing how much the book had already changed…

"I never saw you tonight. You never saw me," he said with his back turned to her. "Bye." He disappeared, and Miaka felt a sinking feeling. Her masked warrior commented to her that it seemed more like Tamahome was afraid to join, but didn't press the subject as he helped Hotohori to stand, and they turned back to the palace sadly. The monk explained to the others that they failed to recruit Tamahome, and Miaka merely held the scroll tightly.

Doukun frowned and turned to the sleeping body on the floor. "Tasuki isn't going to want to hear that."

"What _did _happen to Tasuki, anyway?" she tapped him with her foot. The others in the room looked to each other nervously, but didn't explain it to her until the next morning.

* * *

_I can't believe they did that without my permission! _Miaka mentally fumed. _I never heard of them doing that before. What's going to happen to Tasuki? Tasuki… I wonder how he's doing now?_

She ran to his room, and found him sitting outside on the veranda. His head was bandaged, and he had his forehead resting in the crook of his arms.

"Um," she said nervously. "Does your head still hurt?"

"Yes, it still hurts!" he snapped at her. She immediately felt overwhelmed with guilt and started to well up with tears- not the reaction Tasuki wanted. "H-hey, don't cry about it! It's not your fault!"

"Yes, it is," she moped and sat next to him. "And stuff like this is going to keep happening to you now."

"Miaka," he groaned. Making her feel this way was not what he had intended. "If you really wanna put blame on someone for this, let's just blame Chichiri!"

She saw his goofy smile and laughed. "Sure, why not? Are you sure you're not mad, though, Tasuki?"

"Not for now," he shrugged. "I mean… haven't you ever seen someone you cared about in pain, and all you wanted to do was take the pain away? Even if it meant you'd be in pain for them? Well, it's like that. I can do that for someone now instead of just wishing I could."

She paused. That was a darn right thoughtful thing of him to say!

"Don't take that the wrong way!" he shouted defensively at her silence. "I'm just doin' what any celestial warrior would do! Although this being your 'shadow double' stuff _is _pretty weird."

"Sure I won't," giggled Miaka. "Thanks, Tasuki. I appreciate it."

"Good," he said. "You can show you appreciate it by being the best damn priestess Suzaku's ever seen!"

"Right!" she shouted, but only caused Tasuki to hold his head in pain and shush her. She covered her mouth and added, "I have to be."


	11. Chapter Ten

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase. Sorry for a relatively shorter chapter time, the next is sure to be more eventful!

* * *

Miaka, once she moved past the initial surprise, found Tasuki's deed to be very sweet. It was another reminder that she couldn't just relax now that this was her second time being a priestess, and she would have to be careful. Parts of it still bothered her, though. "Hey, Chichiri, about that 'shadow double' spell?" 

"Yes?" he replied nervously, thinking she might still be mad about it.

"So, Tasuki takes pain for me, right? Like… even if I get sick, or… other problems?"

The embarrassed look on her face and the nervous clenching of her skirt gave Chichiri an idea what she might be talking about. He answered, "Uh… I think it's just for inflicted injuries na no da… he can't take everything for you, you know?"

"Okay!" she smiled in relief. "As soon as Tasuki's feeling better, let's go find the other warriors!"

* * *

Tamahome had returned to Kutou empty handed. He did not expect Nakago to be pleased, and mentally braced himself for whatever might happen. If worst came to worst, he had an exit plan- not just to leave his presence, but the army as well. He'd just run away and figure something out for a new place to live. A part of him was relieved if anything were to go wrong, as he had always hated being in the army. He started wearing the black sash around his forehead when he was tired of other soldiers calling him "little ghost", and he had to spend far more time on duty than he liked. Nakago always brushed him the wrong way, but he never had a strong reason to leave. Perhaps now he'd have an excuse if he got in trouble. Maybe the Priestess of Suzaku was good for something after all. 

He explained to Nakago that the mission was unsuccessful and they never even made it to the scroll before the other soldiers were killed. In the back of his mind, he was already hoping that Nakago might lash out and dismiss him, but the general had no reaction besides a 'hmph'.

"Hmph?" Tamahome asked. "That's all you have to say about a failure?"

"I have other plans I can fall back on. There's nothing disappointing to me. You are dismissed, Kishuku."

_He wasn't supposed to react like that-- or rather, not react at all! _he growled mentally, and then decided to move into something else. "Before we got there, though, I heard from the other soldiers that they were supposed to kill the Priestess of Suzaku."

"They were instructed not to discuss that."

"Then it's true that you told them to!" Tamahome raised his voice. "The Priestess of Seiryuu told you not to, didn't she?"

"The Priestess of Suzaku is none of your concern," replied Nakago, turning to look him in the eye. "Unless you feel you need to protect her."

"Of course not!" he barked back. "I wouldn't even think of it."

Nakago stood up and faced him with his entire body. "But you were thinking of it, weren't you?"

Tamahome gave him a firm look and said, "Not a bit."

"Trying to challenge my decisions, though," the blonde man eyed him, though for all Tamahome knew he might have only been toying with him, "it's as if you're begging for an excuse to leave."

"Ha!" he tried to sound confident, but felt like he had been stabbed with the truth. Maybe Nakago was a mind reader and that's how he could get his way with people. "There's no use denying it. Even with all the promotions and extra pay, you know this is isn't where I want to be. I hate it in the army. I'm just not made for this 'always following directions' act."

"But we both know that you have to stay," said Nakago as he lowered his face closer to Tamahome's, causing a darker shadow to fall over his features. "The raises were supposed to make it a little more bearable for you. Yet you still would like to throw that back in my face?"

"It's not as if I'm leaving," the Suzaku warrior stepped back but still used an offensive voice. He knew that Nakago was not really this generous. Though he was right that he really didn't have much elbow room to leave, even if he had a bigger disagreement with Nakago this morning. "I don't think you should being things behind your priestess' back, that's all."

"This isn't your concern," he smiled. "Now go see if Lady Yui needs any assistance."

* * *

Back at the Konan palace, Miaka and group were getting ready to leave. "Are you sure it's okay to leave right now?" Nuriko asked from her doorway as he watched her pack books with foreign writing and unusual clothes. "Hotohori was injured last night as well, you know. And Tasuki might have the strength of a bear, but he still might not be feeling well yet." 

_You're one to talk about strength, Nuriko! _Miaka sarcastically remarked in her mind, but recognized his concern. "I'm afraid of waiting too long, or Nakago might send more creeps like he did last night. I think that the sooner we leave, the better I'll be able to take care of my warriors."

"Yes, but aren't your warriors supposed to take care of you?" he asked rhetorically.

_Just hang on! _she pleaded in her mind. _If Mitsukake is still the same, then finding him soon will be the best thing for everyone! We can worry about Chiriko and Tamahome later. _

"Oh yeah," she said aloud. "Do you know where Chiriko is?"

"Isn't that what we'd all like to know, Miaka?"

"Doukun! I meant Doukun," she blushed and ran out the door to find him. Because he had already been spending most of his time around the Suzaku warriors since he met them, he was easy to find.

"Did you want to see me, Miaka?" he asked brightly. Miaka showed him the scroll in her hands and his eyes grew wide with excitement. "Is that the Universe of the Four Gods scroll?"

"It sure is," she smiled. "Did you want to see it?"

"I had always been curious about it," he blushed with curiousity. "Do you mind?"

"Actually, I have a very important job for you," said she. "I'm worried about taking this with me, in case it gets stolen or something. Why, I didn't even know Tamahome ran off with it when he did. I want you to take care of it for me while I'm looking for the other warriors."

He looked bewildered at first, then grew a more determined expression as he took the scroll from her. "I will take good care of it."

Inwardly, Miaka felt very pleased to entrust it to him. _I'm a little sad that he's not one of my warriors now, but I did make this wish so that my warriors could all live their lives and do what they wanted. Maybe the only way for Chiriko to follow his dream was to not be a Suzaku warrior anymore. That doesn't mean he's any less important, though. _

"Is there anything else you'd like me to do for you while you're gone?" the boy beamed, holding the scroll very tightly.

"Yes. You can make sure that you study really hard for your exams!" she said. At the other end of the veranda, they saw Nuriko walking out with Rokou clinging to him, and a swift hit from the younger brother sent the older one face first into the ground. "And see if you can keep Emperor Rokou from getting too depressed while I'm borrowing Nuriko."

"It might be easier to protect the scroll," Doukun observed. After saying their good-byes again, Miaka and her four warriors left in the direction of Mitsukake's old village.

* * *

Not having to worry about going anywhere, Yui was talking and drinking tea with Soi. "Your homeland sounds very interesting," the older girl smiled thoughtfully, "I can't imagine what these 'karaoke bars' are like." 

"Sometimes they're fun, but other times it's just too crazy," the priestess laughed. "Poor Miaka gets so distracted at those things, but it's a riot to watch her try to sing songs she forgets the words to- even if they're right in front of her! Ha ha…"

"You seem very close to that girl," noticed Soi. "Does it bother you that she is your enemy now?"

"I can't really say she's my enemy, but I _am _mad at her," Yui said. "I don't know why, but she wanted to keep me from coming here to be the Priestess of Seiryuu. If she can travel here and have a band of warriors destined to protect her and have a beast god to summon and have her wishes simply come true, then why shouldn't she want that for me, too?"

"Maybe she was being selfish," her warrior replied, "but please don't misunderstand and think this is some sort of game. Of course you can have your own wishes granted as well, but we have been waiting quite some time for you to save Kutou."

_This _is _like a game, _Yui thought but held her tongue. _It's just a storybook. Soi doesn't even know that I'm just talking to a character written on paper. _"So, Soi," she humored her, "what would you wish for if you were the priestess?"

"If _I_ were the priestess," she grinned at the idea, "I would wish for whatever Nakago wanted."

"Really?" Yui looked at her from behind her teacup. "That's not very self-satisfying."

"Sometimes all you need to be satisfied is knowledge that someone else is happy," she said and entertained the thought that this young girl had never fallen in love. At that instant, Tamahome knocked on the open door to ask for permission to enter it.

"Oh, Kishuku! Come in," Yui urged him and poured tea into a third cup. He sat down blankly, and turned to her with just as lifeless an expression.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Don't act like such a robot," she smiled and put the tea in his hands. The other two at the table wondered what a robot was. "It's okay to be a little more social."

Soi smiled at Yui's welcomeness to the soldier, and stood from the table. "Speaking of being social, it was nice talking with you, Lady Yui. Please let me know any other time if you would like any company."

"Where are you going, Soi?"

"I have other things I need to check up on," she excused herself.

Yui was left alone with Tamahome, so she turned her attention back to him curiously. "So, Kishuku, where did you go last night? Nakago said you weren't here when I asked about you."

_You asked about me? _the soldier laughed in his head. _Give me a break. I'm not interested in having a little girl interested in me. _A different little girl appeared his head again, and he grimaced, as he was getting tired of the image continuing to pop up.

"Did you go to see Miaka?" Yui's tone turned more serious and snapped Tamahome back to the present.

"I didn't go with anything like that in mind," he answered like a child would answer when asked if he broke into the cookie jar on purpose. "And if Nakago wanted you to know where I was, he would have told you."

Yui hmphed in annoyance. "He doesn't need to be so secretive with me. Whenever I ask about finding my other five warriors, he dodges the subject and says he already has everything figured out for me. I hope he knows that I have better things to do that just wait around here forever."

"You have no idea how much he knows," Tamahome shifted to support his chin with one hand and grabbed the teacup with the other. "He might be avoiding you so that you don't catch on to everything about him."

"Why would you say that?" she tried to laugh at the absurdity. "He's one of my celestial warriors. He wouldn't do anything to undermine me."

Tamahome scowled mentally, _Keh. Don't go thinking you're so important just because you're some priestess out of no where and that everyone will listen to you_. "He might not do anything to you directly, but I can't same the same for what he'll do to other people. I wouldn't trust him if I were you, Yui."

"Others?" she questioned. Yui thought of Miaka, and the conversation they had before Miaka left for the library rang through her mind, especially of Miaka warning her not to trust blond men. "That's silly," the priestess shook her head. "Nakago will do as I ask him to."

"I wouldn't do tha--" he stopped himself from trying to protect her. _That's right, Nakago _did _say that this isn't any of my concern. With that reasoning, it shouldn't matter a thing to me what happens to any of these priestesses! They can all keep playing this game, for all I care! _"Fine. Prove it," he smiled impishly.

"Why should have I to prove Nakago's loyalty to you?"

"Because I don't believe it," he still smiled and leaned closer to her with a meaner expression. "We'll make a bet on it, how about that? You must be getting paid for being the priestess, right?"

"You're a jerk, Tamahome!" she pushed him the other way. He was taken aback.

"That's not my name… why are you calling me that, too?"

Embarrassed, she put her fingers to her lips. She hadn't realized at all what she had called him. "It just felt natural to call you that, that's all. I didn't even notice what I was saying."

"Hmph," he stood up and headed towards the door. "You and your friend have a lot more in common than I thought."

"I'm not like Miaka," she argued weakly and folded her arms. "Sorry for calling you that name. Don't tell Nakago I let that slip."

He laughed as he headed out the door. "I wouldn't tell Nakago a lot of things, including what I call _him _sometimes."


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

_This looks like the right place, _Miaka observed her surroundings, _minus the zombies. _

The group had trusted her to lead them to the right place, and now that they were near Mitsukake's old village, she was getting more nervous about whether or not he would actually be there. "Excuse me," she asked a passing villager on the road. "You haven't heard of any plagues around here, have you?"

"What is it with Miaka and this plague?" Hotohori whispered to Chichiri, who shrugged in response.

"Plagues?" the villager asked. "No, we haven't had anything like that recently. About a year or two ago we were getting worried about one, but we haven't seen a case since."

"Then there was one?" she asked, starting to get her hopes back up.

"I guess, but it's a good thing it's gone," he laughed. "The doctor is keeping mighty busy nowadays!"

_Doctor!_ "Thank you very much, sir!"

"I don't know if we'll get to this village by nightfall," Chichiri cautioned the priestess. "There was an abandoned shack back there which have enough room for all of us to spend the night no da."

"I don't want to go there," Nuriko complained. "It's probably full of bugs and wild animals."

"Yeah, we probably shouldn't--" Miaka started to say, then looked to Hotohori and Tasuki. Tasuki had already insisted that he was fine, but was unusually quiet for the trip and didn't look quite as lively still. Hotohori was still bruised from his bout with Tamahome, and was wearing bandages on his arms. Neither one complained, but it was obvious they weren't feeling their best. "Maybe we should."

The group made themselves as comfortable as they could, and soon a few of them fell asleep. Miaka was not one of these few. _There's something nostalgic about this, _she thought. A sweet smile crept up on her face as she thought back to the first time she was looking for her warriors. "Hey, Nuriko. You still awake?"

"Barely, Miaka," a voice groaned. "What do you need?"

"Oh, nothing, I was just feeling a little lonely, that's all."

He resisted the urge to tell her to go talk to someone in her dreams, and sat up to face her. "Do you miss your home?"

"Hmm," her voice fell quieter. "It wasn't on my mind, actually. Not much, anyway."

"Sorry for bringing it up, then," he smiled, a little embarrassed. "I guess it _is _sort of lonely to be surrounded by sleeping people with no one to talk to." His glance shifted over to Hotohori, who leaned against the wall and had a peaceful expression. "Well, depending on who your company is, sometimes the eye candy is good enough."

"Are you serious about making Hotohori stay with you as your lover?" the priestess asked. "I mean, you haven't really asked him about this, have you?"

"What are you trying to imply?"

"Nothing! It's just," she also looked over to Hotohori and think of ways to help him out of this situation she put him in. "Let's pretend for a minute that Hotohori was the emperor, and you were just a commoner. Would you still try to make him yours?"

"Are you saying that I'm abusing my power?" Nuriko sent her a sassy smile. "Who knows, that might be true. I really like the feeling I get around him," blushed he, "and it felt like I was breaking just not being around him."

"Is it as bad now that we've found some other warriors?"

"Of course it isn't. I've barely let him out of my sight."

Miaka hung her head. This conversation didn't exactly go as she wanted it to. Before she thought of what to say in response, a familiar sound traveled to her ears. "Nuriko! Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"A flute!"

Without another word, Miaka ran out the door to see where it was coming from. Nuriko complained and followed, only to find Miaka overwhelmed by a flock of bats. _How did I get myself into this? _Miaka thought as she covered her head. _This is _exactly _like last time! I should have known this would happen!_

The other warriors were alerted to the commotion, with Tasuki sporadically getting smalls cuts on his arms. No sooner than they had found her did they hear a flute as well. The bats all froze then fell to the ground, and man in a dark cloak fell from a tree as he died. The warriors didn't know what to make of this sudden situation, but Miaka did. _It's still just like last time, _she pieced together the pieces in her mind, _which means that next…_

A young boy ran out of the bushes to meet the group. He panted and looked around at their faces. "I felt nervous as soon as I noticed that man. Are you all alright?"

"Yes, it looks like we're alright na no da," Chichiri answered after looking over Tasuki's new wounds. They didn't seem to bother him much. "Did you stop them?"

"Yes," the boy answered and held up a lantern to see them better, as well as to cast more light on his own face. He seemed healthy and didn't look like he had escaped from a fire like the first time Miaka met him. He gasped when he saw Miaka in her foreign pajamas. "You… you wouldn't happen to be the Priestess of Suzaku, would you?"

"Hey!" Tasuki grew excited. "Are you a warrior?"

"Oh," he blushed and stepped back a bit to show them his foot. On it was a red character. "I go around here by 'Kaika', but I supposed you can call me Chi--"

"A fake!" Miaka finished for him.

"What?"

"I know what you're up to, Amiboshi!" she stomped towards him so she could stare him down. "Give it up now and we'll go easy on you!"

"A-Amiboshi?" he questioned her, looking completely bewildered. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about!"

"Well I sure know!" she shouted at him, then pointed down to his foot. "That's just a tattoo you've got on down there!"

"Down where, Miaka?" Nuriko asked. She quickly looked back down to his foot to see that the character had already disappeared for the time being.

"Hey, what do you know?" she added quietly. "Your tattoo disappeared."

"That was my mark of Suzaku," the boy sweated profusely, having no idea what the problem was. "It marks me as Chiriko."

The other warriors briefly celebrated. "That means we only have one more left to find, Miaka!"

"I can probably help you there," Kaika smiled. "If a Kutou spy was already after you, though, it'll probably be easier to head back to my village in the morning." The group moved back into the shack, but Miaka still felt uneasy about seeing him as Chiriko. _I am not going to fall for this a second time!_

* * *

Morning came soon enough. The group happily followed Kaika (as he preferred being called) back to his village, as he said that he knew someone else who was a Suzaku warrior. 

"So, about that bat-guy last night," Miaka said to him coyly, "How did you get rid of him so fast, huh?"

He showed her his flute. "I can use the sound waves from this to focus my life force."

"Was he already used to hearing it?" she added suspiciously. "I mean, if you were playing it all the way from Kutou?"

"Kutou?" he looked stunned. "I have a technique that requires people to get used to my sound waves, but I have others I can use on strangers as well. Do you interrogate all your warriors like this?" he laughed nervously. _Very _nervously.

"How much further is this village?" Hotohori asked.

"It's right up this hill," he pointed, happy to answer someone else's question instead.

_That's exactly where Mitsukake's village was! _Miaka looked. _But if things have already been different so far… what if he's leading us to Suboshi or something? Eep!_

"I'm sure my brother's been worried that I left so late last night," Kaika mumbled as he picked up he pace a bit. When Miaka heard the word 'brother', she wanted to faint.

At the top of the hill, it wasn't a boy, but a woman who met them. "Kaika, where were you all night?" she shook a finger at him. "You left without saying a thing!"

"Sorry," he hung his head. "Duty called. But I met the Priestess of Suzaku!" he pointed to Miaka. The woman looked at her and smiled. Miaka felt the need to faint again- it was Shouka, and she was alive!

"Oh! Welcome," she bowed her head, then turned back to Kaika. "I'll tell Juan you're back. He'll be relieved."

_Juan? As is Myoujuan!? _all of this whirled around Miaka's head. _They're related!? There's no resemblance at all!_

A white cat ran out the door Shouka went into, and was followed by the gentle man Miaka so well remembered. "The Priestess of Suzaku, I take it?" he smiled warmly to her.

"Y-yes," she beamed. _It _is _Mitsukake!_

"Please, come inside for some breakfast," he showed her in. "You and the other warriors are welcome." As the others headed inside, Mitsukake turned his attention to Kaika. "Is _this _what you were up to last night when you left suddenly? You could have said something"

"Sorry," he smiled apologetically and followed them in. Shouka served the group a large breakfast, as they had far more food on hand than what three people needed. Miaka happily scarfed it down without a second thought, causing a few of her warriors to be convinced that if anyone ever wanted to do something to her, food poisoning would probably be the most effective way to do it.

"So is the doctor business going well?" asked Miaka.

Mitsukake looked both surprised and amused. "Kaika already told you what we do, did he? It _has _been going well, although fortunately not at the expense of the villagers' health."

All this time, Mitsukake didn't wipe a contented smile off his face. _I don't think I ever remember him being this happy, _she thought. _Maybe that's because Shouka's not dead this time? Or at least, I hope she isn't!_

"So, uh, Myoujuan?" she asked. "I came here looking for my Suzaku warriors… you wouldn't happen to…"

"These wounds look fresh," Mitsukake turned to Tasuki and saw the various cuts he had from the bats. "What attacked you?"

"Nothing," he replied flatly.

Almost as if to answer Miaka's question, Mitsukake used his healing powers to relieve Tasuki of his wounds, and then offered to help Hotohori as well. Tasuki grew very excited and looked at where the wounds used to be. "That was amazing!" he yelled. "If we had this guy around, this 'shadow double' stuff wouldn't be too bad!"

"You're the one who agreed to it in the first place," Nuriko elbowed him, only to give him a fresh bruise of his own.

Even after healing two people, Mitsukake didn't look the slightest bit tired. _I wonder why that is? _Miaka thought. _It used to be that he only had the strength to heal one person a day. I guess he might be stronger now. Could it be that the love he has for Shouka makes him stronger? _

As she was getting lost in a romantic thought, she noticed just how tenderly Mitsukake spoke to her and how fondly she responded. In fact, the more she watched how tender they were, the more it made her want to loose her breakfast.

"Would you like to help me fetch some fresh water from the river?" Kaika asked her and snapped her out of her thoughts. She nodded and followed. "I'm sorry if my introduction earlier might have disappointed you," he said. "Were you expecting someone else as Chiriko? I'm not a Konan native, after all, so I can see why you'd be upset."

"Oh, that's not it," she half lied. "After all, one of my other warriors is actually from Kutou."

"I see," he smiled in relief.

"Then does that mean that Myoujuan back there isn't really your brother?"

"No," his glance fell. "I've been living with him and Shouka for about a year and a half. It was nice of them to take me in, though it does make me feel like a third wheel sometimes."

"Third wheel?"

"They got married shortly after I started living with them," he sighed and blushed. "Sometimes it's awkward to be around newlyweds."

"Newlyweds!?" Miaka gasped. "What about the plague!?"

"Plague?" he asked. "Oh, that sickness. It wasn't a big deal. Shall we head back?"

Miaka noticed Mitsukake and Shouka's actions towards each other far more once they returned. _I didn't know Mitsukake could be so lovey-dovey!_

* * *

While the others warriors were enjoying the village, Miaka remembered that she hadn't actually asked Mitsukake to come with them. She crept back up to the house, and heard voices behind the thin door. These voices belonged to her warrior and his wife, but they didn't sound quite as happy as they did before.

"Do you really want to leave like this?" Shouka asked, with a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"Most of the warriors have already been assembled, it looks like. We need to go to the capital for the summoning of Suzaku. You know that that's what is best."

"You always have to leave to go help people in other villages."

"Shouka," he cooed. "I'll be back long before the baby gets here. Please don't make this any harder for me to leave than it already is."

"…Juan…"

"Please promise you'll take care of yourself while I can't."

"B-baby!?" Miaka said aloud, then immediately covered her mouth. It was too late. Mitsukake opened the door and looked straight at her guilty face, leaving Miaka with not much to say for herself. "Um… congratulations?"

He and his wife sighed. "Hello, Miaka."

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop," she apologized, and her eyes wandered over to Shouka's tummy. Now that she was looking for it, she might have just been starting to show. "Um… will it be a problem to take him with us?"

Mitsukake dodged the question and excused himself to go check on a patient. Miaka was left with Shouka, who sighed deeply. "He's got a nasty habit of leaving when I need him."

"Sorry," she said, for lack of anything else to say.

"The last time he left on a long trip, I almost didn't make it," she said softly. "You were asking Kaika earlier about that plague, weren't you? I had it."

"But you survived!" offered Miaka.

Shouka laughed slightly. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"Heh. Right," she rubbed the back of her head. _She has no idea. _

"I feel more grateful to Kaika, actually," Shouka thought back. "Juan found him in the river just barely alive some time before that. It hit him pretty hard, and reminded him of when he moved here after his village was hit with a flood. When Kaika recovered and we found out he had no where to go, Juan unofficially adopted him as his little brother. We were surprised when we found out they were both Suzaku warriors.

"When I fell ill, Kaika took care of me while he was gone," she continued. "When I thought I couldn't fight any longer, he played his flute and used the sound to help subdue the sickness. Juan barely made it back in time to help me."

"That's wonderful!" Miaka beamed. _I shouldn't have had my doubts earlier. Amiboshi did want to be a Suzaku warrior after all, so it looks like Suzaku granted a wish for him, too. _"And did you get married after that?"

"Very soon after that, yes," Shouka smiled and nodded, and lightly touched her belly. "Kaika is just as much a part of our family as the new baby is. Having both him and Juan leave so suddenly is a bit of a shock. I sure that's very selfish of me, considering the safety of the country is at stake."

Miaka shook her head. "You love them, so of course you don't want them to leave. I can kinda relate," she looked to the floor for a moment, thinking of her best friend, but then turned back to her reassuringly. "I will try my hardest to make sure nothing happens to them."

"You're the priestess, please make sure to take care of yourself!" she replied. "How many more of your warriors do you need to find?"

"Ahh… well… only one, but we already know where he is. We just need to go pick him up now," she answered. "Take care of yourself while we're gone, okay, Shouka? For Mitsukake's sake."


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

Mitsukake returned and found Shouka alone. She looked up to him and they sighed simultaneously; words were not necessary between them. He took a seat next to her on their bed, and placed his left hand over her right. She looked the other way wistfully and said, "I'm sorry for arguing with you earlier. Do what you have to." 

Grimacing, he replied, "This is what I have to do, but it's not what I want to do."

"Sometimes you just have to buckle down and do it anyway," Shouka looked back to him. "And you're good at that. I hope that's something our child will learn from you."

His frown turned upward. "There's plenty to learn from you, too," he said and placed his other hand on her belly. Shouka said she had been starting to feel movement, but it was still too soon for him to feel it through her skin. He usually was a patient man, but was excited and kept hoping he would feel a kick anyway. "We haven't talked about names yet, have we?"

"Isn't it a little soon for that?" she smirked. "Do you have any ideas?"

"None."

"We can figure that out after Suzaku is summoned," said Shouka. "Are they eager to leave?"

"It seems that way," he commented and pulled his hand away again. "Kaika seems very energized as well. I think we'll probably leave tomorrow. Is that alright with you?"

"You missed it," she dodged the question and pointed to her belly.

"Just my luck."

"It was faint anyway."

They fell quiet again, and Mitsukake merely held her hand tighter.

* * *

In Kutou, evening was falling on the palace. The general looked out a window and saw one of his soldiers returning to the palace again. He hmphed to no one in particular, slightly unamused and slightly disappointed that he was coming. "Kishuku certainly is predictable." 

"This is usually when he comes back from his visits," Soi said. She had been standing next to the window with him and was familiar with Nakago and Tamahome's strained professional relationship. "It almost sounds as if you wanted him not to return."

"He won't be useful to me much longer. I could care less if he leaves." He then smiled with his eyes closed in thought. "Actually, it might be to my advantage if he decided to leave on his own anyway."

"Why is that, Nakago?"

"So I would have an excuse to do away with him."

She smiled, half-sarcastically. "How noble of you to wait for a reason. Even if he annoys your that much, you don't intend to let him join the Suzaku warriors, do you?"

"It wouldn't be consistent of me to tell a talented soldier simply to join the other side. Whether he does or not does not decide to join them on his own isn't something that makes me concerned," answered Nakago. "I have more reliable sources to see it to it that Suzaku is not summoned. All that matters is time."

* * *

The following morning, Miaka and her warriors gathered outside of Mitsukake's home. "I'll be pleased to join you as 'Mitsukake'," he lowered his head. "And the same goes for Chiriko." 

Kaika said nothing for a moment, then had a delayed reaction. "Oh! Right," he rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "Is it okay to still go by Kaika?" The others shrugged, and didn't comment about how he would be excluding himself.

"Thank you, Shouka!" the priestess bowed. "For both your hospitality and for letting us borrow your men."

"Take care of yourself, Miaka," she nodded. Thus, the group set off for the capital of Kutou.

_It's a little backwards, gathering Tamahome the last, _she thought, then remembered talking to Tamahome through a screen Chichiri had provided the first time she tried to summon Suzaku. _Then again, maybe this is a lot like last time; gathering the others before going to Kutou to get Tamahome. At least this time we really _do _have all the warriors! Well, unless there's any_ _other_ _surprises waiting for me._ None of the warriors were sure why she then searched around them all with suspicious glances.

"Are you looking for Tamahome?" Nuriko asked. "It _was _around here that you ran off and found him before."

"Was it?" she looked around. Sure enough, it was the same road, and the same place. Sure, all the trees looked the same all along that road, but it still felt more familiar. "You know what?" she said to them, especially the three who had traveled that road with her before, "this is just going to take us back to the palace again. Marching in and asking him to come with us didn't work very well last time."

"So what're you sayin'?" asked Tasuki.

She pointed out towards a less beaten path through the trees and up some hills. "Let's try going a different way."

"What good'll that do? If we know he's at the palace bein' a soldier, what's the point of going where he's _not_?"

"That's a very good idea," Hotohori said to the priestess, ignoring the other warrior's concerns. "If he was coming from that direction when we met him before, then perhaps he might be somewhere over there again. Meeting him wherever that might be would be safer than meeting him in the palace anyway." Miaka felt very smart when he agreed with her idea.

"What if he doesn't go with us?" Kaika asked. "You said before that he didn't."

"Then we'll probably have to take Nuriko up on that idea to drag him home against his will," replied Hotohori. Said warrior cracked his knuckles and said that it was his pleasure.

"Well, hopefully, it won't have to be that way," Miaka said with a nervous giggle, but felt sick in her head. _I don't know if I could stand it if he hated me, after all we've already been through! Erm… all I've been through, anyway. I'm still forgetting sometimes that they don't know me like I know them._

_They all look and sound the same as I used to know them, _she thought as she looked from face to face, _but they're sort of different people now anyway. Hotohori isn't the emperor of Konan anymore, and Tasuki doesn't have his own gang of bandits anymore… Kaika might not even be a twin anymore!_

Her glance stopped at Mitsukake behind Kaika. Even though he was just as quiet as before, something still seemed happier about him now. _Well, _she smiled, _not everything that changed was bad. _

While getting lost in her thoughts about changes, what she saw next was eerily familiar. "Look, Miaka!" Chichiri pointed up ahead on the road. "Is that a small village up there?" She put her hand over her eyes to look out further. Could she have been hopefully imagining things? Rubbing her eyes and then taking a closer look, she came to a conclusion.

_That's Tamahome's village! It's in Kutou!_

It certainly didn't look as lively as she remembered it, and the fields weren't quite as lush, but that was still the village she remembered.

"Do you think Tamahome lives there?" Kaika asked.

"No, he lives in the palace, remember?" Tasuki answered.

"He did come from this direction," Miaka mused aloud. "If he had a reason to come to this village… could it be?"

"Could it be what, Miaka?"

No answer, for she had already started running towards it. She smiled hopefully and already started to say their names as she ran. "Yuiren! Chuuei! …Gyokuran and Shunkei! Tamahome's dad! Are they all still alive?"

Her feet carried her around a corner and she could see a little house get closer and closer. Nothing had changed about it. Ten more meters… five more… just a few steps…

"Everyone!" she called happily as she pushed open the door. She was met by four startled screams and a handful of children running away from the door.

"Wh-who are you!?" the oldest pointed at her, and tried to look brave as the others cowered behind him. "What are you doing here?!"

"You're all here," she smiled and felt like she would burst with joy.

"If this is about the taxes, we paid them last week!" the boy yelled, just as aggressively.

"Chuuei!" Miaka ran towards him and held him tightly, much to the boy's surprise. "He was so proud of you," she whispered, thinking back to the last time she had seen him. At that time, it was Tamahome holding his cold dead body and wishing could say that, but having no way to. "I'm so glad you're alright! I was worried about you… about you all!"

The other siblings stepped forward and curiously peered at the girl squeezing their brother. "Where did she come from?" Shunkei pointed to her clothes, but was afraid to touch them.

"Why does she know big brother?"

"Does she bite?"

"W-What are you doing?" Chuuei snapped back to his senses and pulled away, his cheeks flushed red. "I think you might be a little lost."

"Oh! Uh…" she blinked, trying to think of how to explain her behavior without explaining everything she had done with them before.

"Oh, my," a frail man struggled to sit up in his bed, "I didn't think we were expecting any visitors. You'll have to forgive us for not being more prepared." His eyes met hers, and he nodded and smiled, almost understandingly. _Does he know me already? He couldn't! How could he remember me?_

"Miaka, where did you go?" she heard Nuriko's voice from outside the house. "Don't keep running off like that without any warning! Honestly, we should get a leash for that girl."

"I'm in here, Nuriko!" she ran back to the door and waved out to him. The warriors followed her voice and spotted the house. "Come on in! I mean, if that's alright with you, sir…"

Kaika looked at the house almost in shock. "Can we all fit in there?"

"Would it even stay up if there was a windstorm?" Tasuki wondered with him. Hotohori shushed them and told them not to be so rude. "Whose place is this, anyway, Miaka?"

"The Sho fami--" she was going to announced and then covered her mouth. _I'm not supposed to know that!_

"My, my," the older man rubbed his temples. "Have we been talked about?"

"Um… uh… lucky guess," she lied. "Would you mind introducing us to your family, sir?"

"Gladly. These are my children, Gyokuran, Yuiren, Shunkei… and it seems you already know Chuuei."

Chuuei shook his head at his father, still a little surprised. "I've never met any of them."

Before any of her warriors could even make formalities, Miaka pressed the man on. "Do you have any other sons?"

He smiled that understanding smile again. "One more, but he's out at the moment."

"Big brother is making money for us!" Yuiren waved her arms in the air, quite proud to talk about him. "Are you his friends from the palace?"

"We might be," Hotohori smiled softy and knelt down to her level. The moment she said 'palace', he started to catch why Miaka had lead them to this house. "Can you tell us about your brother, Yuiren? What does he do at the palace?"

"I dunno," she shrugged shyly. "That's just where he lives now. He said he hadta' move away from us so he could take care of us. That's silly, though. How can he take care of us if he's not even here?"

"Yuiren," Gyokuran put a hand on her sister's shoulder cautiously. "Big Brother wouldn't want you to say things like that."

"Oh," she gulped and put her hands in front of her mouth.

Hotohori frowned. "Is there anything else you can tell me about your brother?"

Shunkei was more talkative. "He's thiiis tall, and he's really good at making bad people go away! An' he moves around a lot in his sleep."

"We make him sleep on the floor a lot," Gyokuran added.

"An' he helps me learn numbers!" Shunkei continued with a proud expression.

"Oh?" the warrior encouraged him to continue, "how so?"

"By counting money!"

"Big Brother says money is his second favorite thing in the whole world."

"I think he's going to marry his money. Hee hee hee!"

"Big Brother talks a lot about money."

"I see," Hotohori swallowed his comments about what kind of miser their brother must be like. He looked up to Miaka to see her thoughtful expression. "What do you think, Miaka?"

"Hmm," she nodded, affirming what he was probably thinking about Tamahome being related to these children. She smiled and changed the topic. "You really have a way with children, Hotohori!"

"Is that why Nuriko likes him so much?"

"What was that!?"

"You should know better than to make snide comments, Kaika," his brother figure whispered to him.

"You seem very interested in him," the father noticed. "If you don't mind staying around here for a few days, you'll probably get the chance to meet him. I'm sorry we don't have much to offer as far as food is concerned… or space, for that matter…"

Chichiri looked to Miaka for her opinion, and she nodded. "Thank you very much, sir. Most of us shouldn't be a problem, I hope."

"It sounds like you purposefully excluded someone," Tasuki growled from behind the monk. When Yuiren saw him, she shrieked and ran behind Chuuei.

"Don't worry," Nuriko said to her in a sweet voice. "That one will be sleeping outside."

"You can't just decide that unless yer' sleepin' out there, too!"

"Tasuki! I am a _taken _woman, how dare you--"

"Nuriko! There are children listening!" Hotohori raised his voice. Nuriko blushed excitedly and turned his attention back to him, asking if he was jealous. He groaned and hung his head. "Please, don't mind us all, sir."

"Oh no, it's our pleasure," the man said, hiding an oncoming cough. "I'm sure the children are excited to have new people around."

Miaka frowned when she heard him try to cover up his illness. "Thank you. We'll just be outside for a little bit."

The warriors followed her back out for a strategy session. "I don't get it, why are we stickin' around here?" Tasuki asked as he sat next to her. "If you just wanted to go sight-seein' around Kutou, you probably don't just want to stay here."

"I'd stay here instead of going through the rest of Kutou," smiled Kaika weakly.

"These people might be Tamahome's family," explained Hotohori. "They said that we might have a chance to meet him if we stay here."

"The kids did look a lot like him," Nuriko scratched his chin as he thought back. "Especially the oldest one."

"If that's true, though," Mitsukake asked, "then what if this is a trap?"

* * *

Author's Note: I hope calling him "Kaika" won't rub anybody the wrong way. This was mostly to keep people from getting confused, like if they are BAD readers who skip ahead only to find the parts about their favorite characters and have no idea that a warrior was replaced! But of course, I'm not pointing fingers. (Then again, what if my saying this is just to give you the wrong idea about why he goes by Kaika? What if he's really Suboshi and I'm purposefully steering you the wrong way? You'll never know unless you read more, bwahaha!) Thanks again for reading, we're treasuring all your reviews! The updates shall continue to continue! --Appa 


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

"A trap?" Miaka's jaw dropped. "They wouldn't do such a thing! They're only children!" 

"I don't know," Nuriko added. "The old man did seem a little too welcome to us, for strangers just barging in."

"Did you already tell them you're the Priestess of Suzaku?" asked Chichiri. "If you did, then that might explain that no da. But if they're from Kutou, I think they would probably be more nervous to host the priestess from an enemy country."

"Which makes it all the more likely that this is a set-up," Tasuki pitched his opinion in. Actually, joining in with the idea that it was a trap was just a good cover up for him not wanting to be there because Yuiren thought he was scary.

"That's possible," she frowned. "But I just don't think they would do something like this! And this might explain why Tamahome is in the army- he just wanted to make money and take care of his family!"

"The children may have made him sound that noble," said Hotohori, "but they might have been put up to that."

"I don't think we can really find out about anything from the children," said Chichiri, "but talking to Mr. Sho would probably be a good idea."

* * *

That evening, Chuuei caught a large fish to share between the entire family and their guests. As they sat down to eat, a loud 'meow' interrupted them. 

"Tamaneko?" Miaka gasped as she saw the cat poke out of Mitsukake's shirt and paw at his master's food. The priestess didn't notice the surprised look on Mr. Sho's face when she said this name, as he mistook it for another one.

The warrior looked down to his pet just as surprised as Miaka was. "How long have you been there, Tama?"

"You didn't even notice, Juan?" Kaika stared.

Mitsukake held him up by the scruff of his neck and faced the feline. "I thought you were going to stay home and take care of Shouka for us." Tamaneko only meowed in response.

"I guess he just wanted an adventure, too!" Miaka smiled and reached over to pet him. Another meow.

"An adventure?" Yuiren perked up. "Are you on an adventure, Big Sis?"

Miaka nodded. "Yeah, kind of." The three younger children cheered and got closer to her as they asked her questions about what kinds of adventures she had.

"I want to go on an adventure, too!" squealed Shunkei, and his sisters nodded together that they wanted to as well, but Chuuei quieted them. Miaka noticed he had been acting very shy towards herself and her warriors.

"So, you're on an adventure, are you, Miaka?" Mr. Sho asked from his bed. "I'd love to hear about it after the children go to bed tonight." They whined, insisting to hear something, too.

"Hotohori and Chichiri are travelers, so they might have stories to tell you," Miaka turned back to them. They looked between the two men, paused at Chichiri, then flocked to Hotohori's side to ask them to tell them stories.

"Don't feel too bad," Tasuki whispered to Chichiri, who sighed and fingered his mask.

Hotohori didn't feel that he had many stories, as he had only searched for the priestess for about a year before meeting her. In that time, nothing terribly remarkable had happened, but perhaps he could think of a story he had heard at some point. "Would you be interested in listening, too, Chuuei?"

"No thank you," he smiled. "I have to do dishes."

"It's alright to listen to what the traveler has to say," Mr. Sho told her. "I can wash the dishes for you tonight."

"But with guests there's that much more to do, Dad," the boy smiled weakly, asking with his eyes for the man to stay in bed. "I can handle it."

It was no use arguing, so after dinner, Hotohori and Nuriko stayed in one room with the children to tell stories while Miaka and Chichiri stayed with Mr. Sho. Chuuei had taken their mismatched dishes out to the river to wash more than he could inside, so everything was fairly quiet when Mr. Sho spoke. "Miaka, have you met my son before?"

"I think so," she said, very seriously. "He's in the Kutou army, right?"

"And he has a red character on his forehead sometimes," he said as he gestured to his own forehead. "Nevermind, you probably wouldn't see that. He usually keeps a sash around his head now to cover it up."

"Is that because it's dangerous for anyone to see it here in Kutou?" asked Chichiri.

"I think it's more because he's embarrassed," he laughed softly, then coughed a bit. "The legends about the priestesses are common knowledge, for the most part, but not everyone is aware of anything about the warriors. Usually when people see the character on my son's forehead, they tease him, but don't think much of it."

"Then you know what it means?" Miaka asked.

"Yes. It means my son is a Suzaku warrior, destined to protect Konan."

Miaka and Chichiri were somewhat relieved to hear him say this so calmly, but seeing as they were Kutou natives it probably wasn't such a good thing for Mr. Sho. "Does that make you upset, sir?"

He shook his head. "I'm very proud of him. Actually, when my wife was alive and we were talking about starting a family, we had wanted to immigrate to Konan. Kutou has been having problems with civil war for quite some time, after all. But we didn't have the money to go there. When we found out our young boy was a Suzaku warrior, it was almost as if we got part of that wish to come true."

"Part of it?"

"That meant that someday at least one of our children would have a chance to live in a more peaceful country. It's unfortunate," his tone fell, "that he's in the army now instead."

"We _did _invite him to leave," said Miaka. "Actually, we were here to try and invite him again."

"I hope this time he decides to go with you," Mr. Sho said, "though it's a little more complicated than that now. Thank you for coming, Lady Priestess. I do wish you good luck in getting him to join you."

"Thank you-- wait! I didn't tell you I was the Priestess of Suzaku."

He laughed a little. "It was easy enough to figure out. Besides, Kishuku has already told me about you."

"He has?" she beamed. _Tamahome thought of me enough to tell his father? _"What did he say? When?"

"He's allowed to come visit us from the palace once a week," he explained. "When he was here last, he told me what had happened since the last visit." Mr. Sho thought back to his most recent discussion with his son.

* * *

"This girl," he had said, "She was wearing foreign clothing and had big buns in her hair. She just came out of no where and started calling me 'Tamahome' and telling me to go to Konan with her. She said she was the Priestess of Suzaku!" 

"Suzaku, you said?"

"Yeah… exactly what I don't want to get involved in. She kept asking- even when Nakago was around! And then Yui, the Priestess of Seiryuu came, and the other girl left. It turns out Yui and Miaka- the Suzaku girl- were friends… then Nakago sent me to Konan to get the Universe of the Four Gods scroll from Miaka. I didn't know that he meant to kill her, though!"

"Slow down, Kishuku! Has she been killed?"

"No… no, she was fine."

"That's good," Mr. Sho had sighed in relief. "So you went to Konan? What was that place like?"

Tamahome had looked at his father suspiciously. "You sound really worried about that priestess."

"Of course I am," he replied. "She's the girl you're destined to protect. That mark on your forehead has meant that all along."

"That's the kind of nonsense she was saying, too, Dad! You mean you knew something about this?"

"Kishuku. You _are _Tamahome of the Suzaku seven warriors, after all."

* * *

Tamahome was remembering that same conversation at the same time from his room in the palace. He ruffled his hair and groaned. _Why didn't he tell me any of this before? Some warning before that girl showed up would have been nice._

An image of Miaka flashed through his mind, asking him to protect her, and join the other warriors-- "Not again!" he shouted to chase the image away. _I wish she'd stop cropping up in my mind!_

Another Miaka image. This time, she was smiling instead of pleading. _"Tamahome,"_ she said. _"Come on, Tamahome!"_

_Buzz off, _he mentally responded. _I have no choice but to stay here and be Kishuku, a Kutou soldier. _

Nakago's voice echoed in his mind from when he accused Kishuku of trying to leave the army. Then Yui's voice came to mind from when she accidentally called him his celestial name. _What, are they all suggesting I take off and join the Suzaku warriors? No way!_

Behind the mental image of Miaka he couldn't chase away, there appeared his family. He smiled weakly as he thought of them. _No way at all._

* * *

Miaka was still continuing her conversation with Mr. Sho. "So he really doesn't like the army, huh?" 

"Not one bit. He complains about it whenever the younger children aren't listening," he said. "He especially dislikes his general, Nakago."

"That's understandable," Miaka shared a nervous sweatbead with Chichiri. "Why won't he leave, then?"

Little did any of them know that Chuuei had been sitting under the window and listening all this time. _I can answer that_, he thought. _It because we'll all get killed! The army knows about us and why Big Brother is there to support us. They probably know he's a Suzaku warrior, too, and that's why they don't let him go very far! If he ever tried to leave, they would find us. _

_They would find us and they would kill us. That's why Big Brother won't leave the army!_

"And he mentioned Yui, too?" Miaka continued. "Did it sound like she was doing well?"

"Hmm… it didn't sound like he was having any problems with her," Mr. Sho thought back. "So you _are _friends with her, then?"

"Yes," Miaka said and fiddled with her skirt. "She's a very dear friend to me."

"It sounded like she had a pretty good idea what was going on when she got here no da," Chichiri commented. "Just like you did."

"Yui couldn't possibly--" she shook her head. _Then again, how much of an idea does Yui have? She doesn't know all those horrible things that happened to her before, right? Why would she have come back if she did?_

_And she's been spending all this time with Tamahome. Could she have fallen in love with him again? I need to know what's going on with Yui! Maybe if I can just summon Suzaku before she summons Seiryuu I can just send her back. Well… that didn't work very well before. _

"You okay, Miaka?" asked Chichiri. "Your face is getting a little pale."

"Oh, I'm just kind of worried about her," she replied. "How long until Tamahome's next visit?"

"He was here yesterday, actually," he answered. "Which is why I was surprised to see you, especially so soon!"

"Then it'll still be a little while until he comes back?"

"At most, I'd say another five days. Is it alright with you to stay that long?"

Miaka made a face that disagreed, but Chichiri thought otherwise. "Like we said earlier, it would safer for us to meet Tamahome here rather than at the palace."

"Not to mention, I might be able to help you convince him to go with you," he offered. They concluded their conversation and Miaka quietly wandered into the other room to see how Hotohori's storytelling was going. The three children were all sprawled out, completely asleep.

Nuriko yawned as well, and gently put Gyokuran's head off his lap and onto the bed. "Sorry, dear, interesting storytelling just isn't your strong point."

Hotohori made a face at him. "When I was little, I always liked the story of the Priestess of Byakko and would stay up late to hear more."

"Maybe try the Priestess of Genbu next time."

"All asleep already, huh?" Miaka smiled and stroked Yuiren's cheek. She happily imagined Tamahome holding her like he used to. "We should all probably get some sleep, too. Mr. Sho said to have some of the kids share his bed, so do you want to help me move them out there?"

Miaka was about to head to door with Yuiren, but Hotohori put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her. "Sshh. It sounds like someone else is having a discussion out there."

The three wakeful people put their ears to the door and listened. It was Mr. Sho and another child. "You know Big Brother can't go, Dad!"

"Chuuei, this is his celestial duty."

"I know that… and I wish he could go!" Chuuei argued. "But what will we do?"

"I can try working again…"

"You're sick! And no one has hired me for anything-"

"You tried to find work? When?"

Miaka and her warriors looked to each other as they listened, sharing a similar sinking feeling in their stomachs. Chuuei continued, "Besides, what's most important isn't how we'll make money, it'll be our safety. The army isn't going to just let Big Brother leave."

"We have to do what we can to help him, Chuuei. After all these years that he's helped take care of you, don't you want to help him now?"

"More than anything," he lowered his voice. "But even if I could take care of everyone and find somewhere else to live so they wouldn't find us, Big Brother would never consider it. He won't leave the army if we're in any danger. That's just how he is."

"Is that how it is?" Hotohori whispered.

"Kutou really isn't a safe place if the soldiers are all blackmailed into staying!" Miaka said with teary eyes as she looked down to sleeping Yuiren in her arms.

"You can't build an army with blackmail!" Nuriko corrected her and knocked her upside the head a bit. Outside, they heard Tasuki screaming various expletives in pain, but Nuriko continued. "Tamahome is a Suzaku warrior, so of course Nakago is taking extra precautions with him."

"If his family is his only reason for staying in Kutou, though, we'll have to do something to protect them," Hotohori mused. "Asking Emperor Rokou to send guards isn't a good idea, because that would prematurely move Konan soldiers onto Kutou territory."

"We don't want to start the war early," Miaka bit her lip.

"It's not really a problem," Nuriko shrugged.

"That's not a problem!?" Hotohori and Miaka questioned him. The prince stood up and pushed the door open, blatantly revealing that they were eavesdropping. Chuuei and Mr. Sho looked at him just as stunned as his priestess and lover did.

"Mr. Sho, if you want to help poor Tamahome out, would you mind moving your family to my place?"

"Your place!?" Hotohori and Miaka gaped to together.

"In Konan?" Mr. Sho's expression looked brighter. "Are you sure?"

"It's either that, or Tamahome stays in Kutou," he replied.

"Are you sure we wouldn't be bothering you?" Chuuei gulped. The thought of moving sounded great to him.

"There's more than enough room for you and your family," he knelt down in front of Chuuei to see him eye to eye. "You can stay there as long as you like."

"Really?" the boy's eyes wavered in excitement. "I would be so grateful. You wouldn't have to worry about feeding us or anything, I could go out and--"

"No, I really wouldn't have to worry about it," he agreed. "There's plenty of food to go around, too."

Chuuei swallowed a lump in his throat when he spoke to him, and his eyes started to glimmer with happy tears. He quickly wiped them away, saying, "Thank you so much." Nuriko smiled contently in response.

"Now, Chuuei!" Mr. Sho said. "Don't go deciding things like that on your own! Although," he bowed his head to Nuriko from his spot on the bed and coughed, then said, "we are truly grateful."

Hotohori and Miaka were pleasantly surprised. "It's nice to see him use his authority for something generous once in a while," Hotohori whispered to her.

She nodded and held Yuiren a little tighter. "Tamahome will be so happy."


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase. Yes, we do update for Hanukkah!

* * *

Chuuei became much more talkative after his worries were put aside. At breakfast the next morning, he was asking just as many questions about the warriors as his younger siblings were. 

"Do you scare your little sisters?" Yuiren asked Tasuki. By now, she had warmed up to him.

"I don't got any little sisters," he said. "But I've got five older ones- nothin' scares them!"

"Older sisters? Really?" gaped Kaika with five mental images of Tasuki as a woman. "I never would have guessed."

"You don't need t' look so surprised."

_That reminds me, this is a good chance to find out if Kaika still has a twin! _Miaka thought. "So, Kaika, what's your family like?"

"You met my family, Miaka."

"Oh. Right! Ha ha ha!" _That was not helpful. _

While everyone was being rowdy at the table they all squeezed together at, Hotohori leaned back to speak to Mr. Sho, who was still lying in bed. "When will you tell the younger children that they'll be moving, sir?"

"I'm going to wait a little bit," he coughed, "until I feel up to it."

"To tell them, or to move?"

"Both," he said. "Don't worry, I'll make sure they have a chance to say good bye to the home they always knew, though I doubt that they'll miss it much. Your friend made it sound like we'd be very welcome to his home. I really hope we aren't intruding."

Hotohori smiled with half his mouth and frowned with the other half awkwardly. "The rest of us are already staying there anyway. You and your children probably would never cause as much of a disturbance as some of the people in our group already do."

"Thank you, Hotohori. I think."

"It's a very big place, so don't feel worried at all," he continued, but was interrupted by Mr. Sho's coughing. "Are you alright?"

He put up a hand to answer, as he couldn't get words out of his sick mouth. The others at the table grew quiet and looked to him. "Daddy, are you okay? Daddy?"

"Say something, Daddy," Yuiren jumped off her seat and ran to his side. "Daddy, stop coughing!"

Mr. Sho didn't act like it was big deal, and shook his head for his daughter to return to her breakfast. Miaka, however, didn't have any plans to leave him alone. "Mitsukake! Can you help him?"

Mr. Sho graciously rejected the check-up, but Mitsukake put two fingers to his neck to feel his breathing anyway. "You're very sick, sir."

"He doesn't even get out of bed anymore," Gyokuran added. "He keeps saying that he's alright, but he just keeps coughing and coughing. He won't even take any medicine!"

"That's because we don't have any money for medicine," Chuuei told her.

She gasped and started to well up in tears. "I didn't know that! Then he won't be able to get better?"

"It's alright," the doctor smiled and put a hand on her head. "I'll help your father to get better."

"You will?" she bit her lip and looked at him intensely. "Even though we don't have money?"

"Yes," he said. "You just have to make sure he stays well afterward. Will you do that, Gyokuran?"

"I will!" she nodded and smiled. He chuckled softly and told her she was a good girl. He could feel someone staring at him, and turned around to see Kaika with a dazed expression.

"Is something wrong, Kaika?"

"No," he shook his head with a little smile. "I was just wondering if you're going to have a girl."

"You're going to be a father?" Mr. Sho asked from his spot on the bed.

"Yes," he said quietly, a little embarrassed. "For the first time."

"You may ask me if you have any questions."

"I will," he answered, but could tell that the sick man was trying to divert attention away from his illness. "For now, you're my patient. Lie still, please." With a simple wave of his hand, the sickness disappeared like magic. Mr. Sho was immediately able to sit up in bed and be amazed at how much better he felt, but the magician didn't feel quite as well.

"I had no idea you were going to do that!" he put his hands to his chest and felt how easier it was to breathe. "Is that one of the powers of Suzaku?"

Miaka noticed how tired her warrior now was and answered for him. "It sure was. It'll be great when Tamahome can join us and we have everybody's powers put together, or something like that."

"Daddy! You're better!" Shunkei tackled him, and Yuiren followed her brother's idea and tugged on his clothes. Mr. Sho hugged them tightly, then replied to Miaka, "My family has surely been blessed by your visit. Thank you." The children immediately wanted their father to go play with them and make up for lost time, so they dragged him and some of the other warriors out to play as well.

"Thank you so much," Chuuei bowed to Mitsukake as the others left. "I'll do everything I can to repay you--"

"You have to come play, too, Big Brother!" Yuiren ran back in and tugged him out by his sleeve. Mitsukake was left alone with his priestess and adoptive younger brother.

"You look like you need some rest, Juan," Kaika cautioned him. "Do you want any help getting to the bedroom to rest?"

"Thank you."

"You seem a lot more tired this time than when you healed Tasuki and Hotohori," Miaka said. "I'll bet that's because you feel lonely without Shouka here! Suzaku's the God of Love or something, after all, so your love must make you stronger!"

Mitsukake exchanged a puzzled glance with Kaika, and then he laughed a bit. "I never thought of it that way, Miaka."

"Sorry to ruin it for you, but he gets this wiped out a lot," added the other warrior. "It just varies depending on how serious it is, right?"

"Right," he said. "That time, their wounds weren't very serious, so it didn't require much of my life force to help them. In Mr. Sho's case, he was deathly ill."

"Deathly?" she gulped. "He didn't make it seem like he was that bad…"

"I've seen many patients act like everything is fine, or even that they feel much worse than they actually do," he explained, "but no amount of acting can change the severity of a illness."

"Oh," she frowned. "Then… just how bad was he?"

"He probably wouldn't have survived the upcoming trip to Konan."

The color drained from Miaka's face as she heard that. Kaika helped Mitsukake into the bedroom so he could rest, and starting playing a song on his flute for him to relax to. _Suzaku, _she thought as she listened to the sound, _You really are helping everybody else, aren't you? I hadn't even realized quite how much._

"Oh, you _are _still in here," Hotohori looked back in, quite relieved to see her. "I didn't see you out there playing with the children, so I was starting to get concerned."

"You worry too much!" she teased him.

"Actually, I've been thinking about other things, too," said he. "For instance, if we're going to move Tamahome's family to Konan anyway, should we wait until he comes back to do that? If Nakago notices that he doesn't return after visiting them, he might send someone after us to attack before we reach Konan."

"I didn't even think of anything like that," she replied. "Are you suggesting we take them home first, then? What if we don't get back here before Tamahome does and he thinks all his family has gone missing and he has no choice but to go to Konan because they're being held ransom?"

"Well, that would be one way to get him to join us," he thought aloud, but brushed that aside. "I was thinking more along the lines of splitting up--"

"So some of us can go straight to the Kutou palace and pick him up!?" she beamed. Hotohori wasn't very welcome to her finishing his thoughts before he could, but nodded. "That's a great idea!"

"You seem very eager to go for knowing that there are people wanting to kill you," he commented.

"Well, it _is _kind of hard just to sit around and wait for Tamahome," she said. "And I'd like to see Yui again, too, if I can…"

"Hm," he said understandingly. "Even considering what's happened those times we've run into Tamahome, you talk about him fondly."

"Does it show--I mean, I do?" she blushed. "I mean, he _is _one of my warriors, so I feel bonded to him already, you know? Deep down inside."

"I see," he leaned a little closer to her. "Then does that bond work both ways?"

_Wait a minute! I know where he's going with this! _Miaka blushed madly. _It'll just cause problems for everyone if he falls in love with me again! I don't want to have to break Hotohori's heart again!_

"Heh," he laughed and pointed to her cheeks. "You're blushing."

"I-- It's not what you think!"

"It's alright, Miaka," he closed his eyes thoughtfully. "My face makes many people blush."

"You really never change, do you, Hotohori?"

"Hmm?"

"Nothing. I guess a lot of people _do _find you attractive, of course," she laughed along. "I don't think that's all that attracted Nuriko to you, though. That celestial-bond stuff probably had a big part in it, too."

"If only that was all," he hung his head, "If it was, he could just give up on me and go for someone like Tasuki instead."

"D-don't make dirty jokes like that! What if Tasuki heard that!?"

"It doesn't seem like he likes women much to begin with, does he?"

"Hotohori!"

"You're right, I should stop," he smiled to her. "This bond that we all feel. It's powerful enough to attract us all to you this fast. Do you think it will be powerful enough to make Tamahome come with us?"

"Now that his family is being taken care of and he doesn't have to worry about what would happen to them if he left, so I don't see why not," Miaka replied. She tried her best to sound confident, but her next comment rolled out regardless. "I don't know if I'd be able to stand it if he still decided he… …If he still didn't come back."

Hotohori didn't have any comment, and the two were quiet for a moment. That moment lasted too long for comfort, so he looked back at her and then became alarmed. "Miaka, are you alright?"

"What? Oh," she felt her cheeks. They were wet and salty. "I didn't even realize I was crying. I guess I might just be getting nervous, that's all."

"Are you up to going to the capital? If not, it still probably wouldn't be a problem for us to stay here and wait for him. Like Mr. Sho said, he could help convince him to go along with us."

"No, I'm alright. I want to go to the palace and try to see Yui, too. Thanks," she wiped the last of her tears away, "for always caring about me, Hotohori."

* * *

Later, they sat outside the little house and announced the idea to the other warriors, who weren't quite as receptive. "What if something happens to you there, Miaka?"

"I'll still take some of you along to protect me. That's part of your job description, isn't it?"

"Yes, but should you really be putting yourself in danger unnecessarily?" Nuriko shook a finger at her which reminded her of the many other times before that she had stupidly done that.

"I've thought through it this time," she argued, "and it might be better for everyone if I can talk to Yui. I don't know if she really knows what she's gotten herself into. If I can convince her to go back with us, too, and not to summon Seiryuu, that would make things a lot easier."

"Wouldn't Nakago have a problem with that no da?"

"Well," she shrunk back a little, "I don't know. But she's my friend and I still feel like I need to try. Besides, the sooner we summon Suzaku, the better, right?"

"I actually like the idea," Kaika joined in. "If we wait all this time for Tamahome, they might go looking for us in Konan like you said they did before. Or even worse, they might find out we're here and send soldiers to attack this village before Tamahome even gets a chance to get here."

The others went pale. "When you put it that way, Kaika, you make it sound like we're putting his family in danger," said Nuriko.

"We very well might be," he said. "The sooner they get to Konan, the better, I think. Either way, if and when Tamahome decides to join us, this Nakago person isn't going to be very happy. If he finds out about his betrayal at the palace instead of when he was supposed to be here, though, he probably won't be as likely to take it out on the village coming after him."

"You mention the village so much--"

"The village is _defenseless_!" he argued his view. "At least at the palace, they'd be more careful about not getting other people involved!"

The others looked to each other quietly, as if silently discussing what to do next, hoping that someone would come up with a better reason for staying and waiting. "Actually," Tasuki spoke, "I kinda want t' see this Nakago guy myself. Sounds like the rest of you didn't give him a run for his money last time, but I wouldn't hold back in showin' him a thing or two about messing with the Suzaku warriors."

"Meeting up with him would not be helpful if we go," Hotohori said, "but I'm relieved that you support this as well."

"Then let's vote on it," Miaka said. "Just because I'm the priestess doesn't mean I should call all the shots. All in favor of splitting up, raise your hands." Her had was joined in the air by Hotohori's, Tasuki's, and Kaika's.

"Actually, if you don't mind my eavesdropping," Mr. Sho poked back outside (though eavesdropping was hardly something for him to feel bad about considering how much his own conversations had been listened into the past couple days), "I think it would be best if we left right now, after hearing what you had to say. Whatever is safer for my children is what I'm in favor of."

With his input, the vote was no long necessary, and they agreed to split up the following morning. Nuriko would lead the Sho family, along with Mitsukake and Kaika, back to Konan. Miaka, Hotohori, Tasuki, and Chichiri would intrude on the Kutou palace for the second time.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

Rokou tapped his fingers impatiently against his desk. He was supposed to be reviewing proposals, but his mind was obviously wandering elsewhere. "Are you alright, Your Highness?" asked Doukun as he delivered a new stack of proposals to his desk. 

"_I'm _fine," he said grumpily. "It's Ryuuen I'm worried about."

"Worrying doesn't exactly mean that you're fine," Doukun begged to differ. "It seems that regardless of his habits he can take good care of himself, if you don't mind my saying."

"Habits," the emperor hung his head. "He really wasn't anything like that before my younger sister passed away when we were children. I don't think he understands quite how important it is for him to act a little more responsibly. If something were to happen to me, he would have to take over and lead the country!"

_He makes it sound like he's worried only for the country, _thought Doukun, unimpressed with his act. _It's obvious that he's more concerned about his brother's welfare than that. _"I'm sorry that I disagree."

"You think it's alright for him to be this irresponsible?" Rokou looked shocked at the boy. "If he has a thing for men, I can't change that, but he doesn't have to be so flamboyant about it. But more so, this frolicking around in enemy territory is what makes me nervous! If anyone were to find out he was there, it would be disastrous!"

"I find Nuriko to be a very responsible person," he replied, though he was slightly nervous to argue with the emperor. "He didn't leave for a vacation. He left to follow his destiny and protect the Priestess of Suzaku. If that isn't responsible of him, what is?"

Rokou opened his mouth to respond, but promptly shut it and looked in the other direction. "You are dismissed now."

"Your Highness, look!" he pointed out the window which overlooked the courtyard. The emperor turned from his desk to look outside, where he saw all the guards bowing and making way for the prince to return to the palace. The two of them rushed to greet them.

"Nuriko," Kaika gaped with Mitsukake, "You never told us you were the emperor of Konan."

"Only the runner-up," he shrugged.

"We're going to live in the imperial palace?" Mr. Sho asked in disbelief.

"Don't faint, sir- you only recently got back on your feet!" Nuriko waved his arms in front of him. "And I said that it wouldn't be a problem, didn't I?"

"Nu-- Your Highness?" Chuuei tugged at his clothes nervously, "How much is this going to cost us?"

"It's free!" he snapped back at him, not wanting to have his generosity questioned. "Having you and your family is going to help us, too, remember?" The three younger children were staring at the high walls and decorations and didn't bother questioning a thing.

"Please don't tell me these are other warriors," Rokou said when he saw the train of them following his brother. "They… they're only children…"

"Where is Miaka?" Doukun asked, full of concern. "And the others?"

"They'll catch up," Nuriko waved his hand unconcerned. "Now would somebody please get some new bedrooms prepared? Mr. Sho, they all can have their own rooms if you want."

"That's not necessary, they can share," he replied slowly, as he was still overwhelmed by the idea. "I wouldn't want them get getting lost in their own rooms, after all… Gyokuran, hold Yuiren's hand so she doesn't wander off, alright?"

"Who are these people?" Rokou tracked their little heads running around him.

"I said they could come," answered Nuriko matter-of-factly. "They're Tamahome's family, and they'll be staying for while. If you don't hurry up and pick out a bride soon, though, you might have to adopt one of them as your heir!"

"W-what are you talking about, Ryuuen?"

"He's really the emperor's brother," Kaika slumped back against Mitsukake.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have told quite so many gay jokes on the way here," he cautioned him, causing Kaika to moan and say that he was doomed.

* * *

Speaking of doom, Miaka and her warriors reached the imperial palace of Kutou some time before this. "So, what's the plan, Miaka?" Tasuki asked. 

"What plan?"

The three warriors simultaneously did a face plant into the ground. "You mean you dragged us here without any idea what in the heck we're supposed t' do!?"

"Of course I know what we're supposed to do," she snapped back. "We talk to Yui and Tamahome and try to convince them to go to Konan with us."

"Whose Yui?"

"Don't you listen to anything, Tasuki?" Chichiri smacked his forehead. "She's the Priestess of Seiryuu, Miaka's best friend."

"Whoa. Talk about your coincidences."

"Tasuki, why don't you just be quiet and follow us until we need you?" Hotohori rubbed his temples. "I suppose we should start looking around the place that they welcomed us before. That was near the personal quarters, I believe."

"Maybe we should start by figuring out our way in there no da."

"It would have been nice to have had some of this figured out before we got here!" Tasuki growled.

"Well there's no use going back now," Miaka shushed him. "We should think of a way to get in there unnoticed… Tasuki, would you quit growling?"

"I'm not saying anything."

"Then who…"

The growling got louder and they slowly looked over their shoulders to see where it was coming from. Behind them was a snarling, dark blue wolf which Miaka instantly recognized."Ahhh--ahhh---Ashitareeee!!!"

Her scream was a cue for the Seiryuu warrior to leap at them. Hotohori barely had enough time to react and catch the beast's claws against his sword. Chichiri and Tasuki jumped away with Miaka in tow as Hotohori tried to use his own strength against him.

"Fire!" Miaka shouted and turned to Tasuki desperately. "His weakness is fire!"

"On the count of three, get out of there," Tasuki yelled to Hotohori as he grabbed his tessen. "One, two-- Rekka Shinen!"

He gallantly jumped out of the path of the flames, but unfortunately, so did the wolf. Tasuki prepared to square off against him again, but someone showed up behind them to stop them. "Tomo! What is going on out here?"

"T-Tomo?" Miaka stared blankly at the wolf, who stuck it's snout in the air and walked away defiantly. She looked back to who had shouted out, and locked eyes with him the instant he walked out of the bushes.

"Oh," he grimaced. "Not you again."

"Tamahome!" Miaka bounced over to him. "We came here looking for you!"

"Evidently," he grumbled. "Look, you really have to stop getting yourself in trouble by coming after me."

"Are you kidding? Trouble is this girl's middle name," Tasuki laughed. "So this is the guy, huh?"

Hotohori nodded to him, then turned back to the warrior in question. "Won't you at least hear what we have to say?"

"I'm going to get in trouble if they see me out here talking to you--"

"Then just leave now!" Miaka told him. "They can't get you in trouble if you're not here!"

"It's not that--"

"Simple?" Hotohori interrupted. "We already have your family taken care of."

Tamahome's expression was wiped blank, then changed dramatically to show his defensiveness. "What did you do to my family?"

"Oh, I don't know," Miaka put her hands behind her back innocently and shrugged. "Just healed your dad and gave everybody a new home in the Konan palace."

"You took them prisoner!?"

"No!" everyone shouted back at him, and Chichiri helped to explain. "We brought them back there so they could be safe and you wouldn't to worry about them getting in trouble when you left the army. Nuriko's taking care of them completely no da. You don't even need to worry about money for them!"

"But my dad…" his voice fell.

"He's all better now," smiled Miaka. "One of the other Suzaku warriors is a really good doctor and fixed him right up. They're all waiting for you, Tamahome! And so are we. You're the last warrior of Suzaku!"

He put a hand to his head silently, processing everything they had just said. It was true, even his father encouraged him to be a Suzaku warrior, and it was strange that they knew about his family's condition even though he hadn't said anything. Still, Tamahome was cynical. "I don't know if I should believe you. This is a bit much for a practical joke to get me to join your little party."

"Then come with us and we'll show you it's true!" Miaka urged him. "Your dad and Chuuei… they said that this is best for you! Yuiren and the others will want to see you there, too!"

"I really don't believe any of this!" he turned away from her. "How in the world did you find them, anyway!"

"We sniffed out your tracks in the ground."

"What?"

"Just kidding," she laughed. "I think it's because Suzaku lead us to them so we could help you. He wants us to be together, after all."

Tamahome felt a knot in his throat and looked back to her, noticing the sincerity in her eyes and as she hopefully looked back into his. "Wants us to be together, huh?"

"Miaka," Hotohori whispered, though loud enough for the others to hear. "That might have been a bit forward."

"I meant all of us! The priestess and the warriors!" she lied with her face flushed red. "You know, that Suzaku-bond stuff! Ha ha."

"If what you said about my family is true," he said in all seriousness, but couldn't help but break a smile. After all, this meant that he really had no reason to stay in the Kutou army! "Then I'll go back with you. But if you're lying- if you did something to them at all, I will personally make you regret it!"

"I'm not worried," she told him.

"Then let's get a move on right now!" Tasuki cheered. The other warriors threw their fists up in the air and agreed with him, but Miaka broke up the party.

"Wait! I need to talk to Yui first!"

"Yui?" Tamahome gave her a 'you're not serious' look. "You just gathered all your warriors, and now you want to go talk to your enemy?"

"She's not my enemy, she's my best friend!" she protested. "Half of the reason we came here instead of waiting for you at your village was so that I could talk to her!"

"Then I'm just a bonus?"

"Call yourself whatever you want, but it's important to her," Hotohori defended her decision. "Perhaps for your first job as a warrior protecting her, you can help her to find her."

Hotohori wasn't serious when he said that, but it made a good plan anyway. Tamahome began to lead Miaka, who had her arms tied behind her back, back inside the palace. Tasuki turned him around, stared him down, and threatened, "Listen, pal. If anything happens to Miaka…"

"It'll be on Tasuki's head no da!"

Even though he wasn't entirely sure what they meant, Tamahome didn't think on it much. When they got out of the other's earshot, Miaka whispered to him, "Thank you, Tamahome."

"Sure."

"You don't mind me calling you that now, do you?"

"I'll get used to it."

"Good," she smiled, and resisted the urge to snuggle a little closer to him. She was, after all, supposed to be acting like she was his captive. She expected this to be a quiet mission into the palace to go find Yui, and mindfully kept her voice quie--

"Lady Yuuuui! I've got something for yoooouu!!"

"What are you doing!?" she gasped at him.

"Getting you to your friend. Now just play along."

Nakago heard his yelling and naturally came to check things out. He was genuinely surprised to see him with the Priestess of Suzaku. "Kishuku. What is the meaning of this?"

"I found her snooping around out here," he said. "The warriors with her got away, but I heard Lady Yui said that she wanted to speak to Miaka, so it was more important to make sure she came unharmed than go after them."

"The warriors left her here?"

"Let me go! They'll come back for me! Let me go!"

"You didn't have orders to do this," Nakago stared him down. "Your orders come from me, not Lady Yui."

"You're the one who said to get anything for her if she wanted it," he furrowed his eyebrows back at him. "Besides, you knew in the first place that I was against doing anything unnecessary to hurt her. Keeping Suzaku from being summoned is all you wanted, right?"

Tamahome was not a very convincing actor. Either that, or Nakago could see through an act with ease. Stupid boy. You really expect me to fall for this? he thought. In order to summon Seiryuu, he still needed the Suzaku priestess and warriors, and having Tamahome help them now was probably no problem. In fact, it would just enact his other plans faster, so he decided to humor him. "Very well. Bring her to Lady Yui. When she is finished with her, bring her to me."

* * *

They walked past him down the hall, and both breathed a sigh of relief after he was gone. "I wanted to get his attention sooner rather than later," he explained, "so that he wouldn't walk in and I'd have to think of something on the spot for an excuse." 

"Okay. Has Yui really been asking to see me?"

"She's talked about you off and on."

"Oh," she said. "Do you spend a lot of time with her?"

"Not especially. She usually talks more with Soi. You met her, remember? Nakago's wife?"

"I remember," she smiled awkwardly. _More than you'd ever guess._

"Kishuku, were you asking for me?" Yui walked down the hall, and was shocked to see Miaka with him. She looked relieved and ran towards her. "Miaka, what are you doing here? What happened to your Suzaku warriors?"

"Yui!" Miaka struggled to hug her, but her hands were still tied behind her back. "How have you been? Have you been safe here?"

"Of course, they're taking good care of me here," she smiled. "But I don't see what brings you here. Come on, we'll talk in my room. Kishuku, would you please leave us alone?"

He obliged. "I'll stand guard and wait right here for you." Yui was suspicious of this, but lead Miaka off anyway.

Yui served them tea and Miaka immediately started talking. "Yui… why did you come here?"

"I should ask you the same question."

"I came to Kutou to talk to you!"

"And to gather up your Tamahome?"

"That too," she frowned. "But we had other ways we could have talked to him. I needed to come so I could see you. Why did you follow me into the book? I told you not even to go to the library with me that day."

"And why not?" Yui asked and gave her an angry glance. "You came here to get your own wishes granted. Why would you want to keep me from having the same fortune? Were you being selfish?"

"I'd never want to keep you from that," meekly replied Miaka. "I just didn't want you to get hurt. The world inside this book, being a priestess. It's all so dangerous!"

"And that made it okay for you to come and not me?" she used a harsher tone. "I'd be just as worried about you, too, Miaka. Was it okay for you to make me worry instead? Silly."

"I was hoping you wouldn't find out about this so you wouldn't have to worry about me," answered Miaka. _That's right. Yui originally got dragged back into this book because she was helping me escape. That was because she was worried about me before. _

"Still, you must have had reason enough to come," Yui sighed. "And things don't look like they've been so dangerous for you. You look just fine to me. When I was reading along with you before, you were having no trouble finding warriors left and right. This book is like a game."

"A game!?"

"You go on a quest for warriors, then hold an event and win the prize. It sounds just like a game," Yui continued. "And so far, that's what it's been. For us both to get sucked into the world inside this book, though, the prize- the wishes that the beast gods will grant - is amazing. And you wanted me not to have the chance at it, too? I thought friends always want what's best for each other."

"I do want what's best for you, Yui!" Miaka raised her voice pleadingly. "Of course I would want you to get your wishes granted… when I summon Suzaku, I was going to wish for both of us to be happy and get into Jonan together. But it's just too dangerous, Yui! You can't trust Nakago!"

"And you shouldn't be able to trust Tamahome because he works for Nakago," Yui argued using her own logic. "Unless he's already decided to join you. He can't go with you, though," she grabbed Miaka's wrist tightly, "I can't have you summoning Suzaku!"


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

"Yui! That hurts, let me go!" Her grip loosened a bit, but not enough for Miaka to break free yet. "What do you have against me summoning Suzaku, Yui? I have to save Konan! That should have nothing to do with you!" 

It was true, Yui had no ill intentions towards Konan. All she knew was that Kutou would soon be going to war with them for reasons she had neglected to find out. What Miaka didn't know was that currently, summoning Seiryuu was impossible. Nakago had some way to have the Suzaku band help them summon Seiryuu, even if she wasn't sure yet what it was. All she knew was that they weren't allowed to try summoning Suzaku yet.

"You shouldn't just believe everything Nakago tells you!" Miaka broke her thoughts, already guessing what she was thinking.

"If Konan is none of my business, why is Kutou any of yours?" retorted the eastern priestess. "The countries are at war. Neither one of us wants our side to be disadvantaged because of some god being summoned on the other side! It's only natural to want to stop you."

"But you can't summon Seiryuu! This isn't as simple as you think it is, Yui! You're helping the bad guys! You have to trust me on this!"

"How do you know so much about this anyway, Miaka? Have you read this book before?"

_Yes! But I can't tell her that! _

"Why can't you be honest with me, Miaka! How do you know so much? I can't trust you if you won't tell me the truth!"

"I_ am _telling you the truth, Yui…"

"Not all of it. You're hiding something, Miaka… how did you find this book in the first place? You never go to the library. Aren't we friends, Miaka? If it's so important, why won't you just tell me?" Her voice sounded more desperate, and then the two of them paused. Yui smiled weakly, and continued. "I don't want this to hurt our friendship."

"Me neither," Miaka said over the lump in her throat. "But I'm doing all this because I want to help you. I want to keep you from getting hurt. Konan is a nice country, Yui. Won't you just come with me there and then we can go home together and forget all this?"

_Now I am lying. I won't really want to forget. But for Yui's sake, she should!_

"Miaka, why can't we just go home now? This is just some silly book, after all."

_It's… it's not just some book! I came here because so many people here are important to me!_

"Is something wrong? Don't you want to go back, Miaka?"

"I… I can't, Yui. Not yet."

"Not yet?" her expression turned sour again. "This is getting us no where if only you're going to play your part here. I'm sorry, Miaka."

Yui squeezed Miaka's tighter again, causing her to wince. "Yui?"

"If you're going to be the Priestess of Suzaku, then I have to be the Priestess of Seiryuu. Nakago! Nakago, come quick!"

The name ringing in his ears, Tamahome sprang through the door to grab Miaka away from her friend. He sprinted from the room with Miaka in tow, she showing signs of wanting to go back. He pulled her arm a little harder to keep her at his side while explaining, "There's no time; we have to leave now." Miaka bit her lip and looked forward as she ran.

"That didn't sound like it went very well," Tamahome pointed out, unable to keep from sounding impatient.

"Sorry," Miaka said meekly, looking to her feet.

They began to round a corner of the palace, although the sight of a guard near the end of the hall kept them from proceeding. Tamahome stopped abruptly, causing Miaka to run right into him; she tried to yelp, but as if Tamahome knew what she was about to do, he placed his hand over her mouth. She looked up to him apologetically while he shushed her silently. Tamahome peered around the corner, watching and waiting to see when the guard would change posts.

* * *

Tasuki, ever the impatient one, sighed a little and elbowed Chichiri, hissing, "When are they gunna show?"

Chichiri did not reply, as his gaze and attention was thoroughly fixed upon the palace walls. His expression of worried impatience was showing even through his mask, and he was clutching his staff tightly.

Tasuki groaned, and Hotohori, not wanting Tasuki to blow their cover, soothed him with, "Tamahome knows the palace well; they will be here soon."

Tasuki muttered something about Hotohori better being right before Chichiri's arm flung out to his side, covering Tasuki and Hotohori, who were kneeled beside him.

"Something isn't right," Chichiri stated, sounding grave.

Hotohori and Tasuki looked sharply over to Chichiri, the swordsman asking sharply in a whisper, "What is it?"

Chichiri kept his arm protectively over the other two, his gaze locked on to one of the nearby palace windows. "Something has changed," he explained softly.

Tasuki grunted a bit and asked if Chichiri could be a little vaguer. Hotohori scolded him accordingly.

Now speaking in a much more urgent way, the monk announced to his partners, "It's the Seiryuu warriors! They've attacked, no da!"

Tasuki squinted at the palace and commented, "I don't see anything different," before he was lead forcibly away by Hotohori, following after Chichiri who had sprinted off to enter the palace.

* * *

Tamahome gave a relieved sigh as he saw the guard walk down the hall and past a corner, leaving their path to freedom clear. He motioned for Miaka to follow him as he lead her down the corridor, although he found it odd how alone they were. Usually Nakago had the place filled to the brim with security, and considering he was probably aware Miaka was around, Tamahome figured there would be a guard every yard or so.

But it wasn't as if he could complain.

Tamahome, still amazed at the lack of other people, made his way through several rooms and hallways, knowing this to be the closest way out of the building; however, once he reached the hall where he knew there should have been a door to the outdoors, he was surprised to find that it was not there.

Miaka looked up to Tamahome with slight concern in her eyes, as Tamahome had stopped and was staring at the blank wall where his door should have been.

"Is everything alright?" Miaka asked him, holding his hand a little more tightly.

"Yes," Tamahome lied quickly, walking quickly onward, not wanting to waste time. "I must have just made a wrong turn."

But that wasn't the case. No matter how much he backtracked, went around, or even made turns at random, he did not find an exit outside. There was no way the floor plan could have changed while he was away, right?

Miaka, who had apparently noticed Tamahome's sudden increase in anxiety, asked again, "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure," Tamahome replied hoarsely, pushing open a door to find that they were suddenly exposed to dozens of people, all in formal dress.

This was bad. Very, very bad.

Tamahome tried to lead Miaka out of the room so they could run as fast and as far as possible, although she seemed to be rooted to the spot. It took Tamahome a moment to realize why.

The man she was sharing gazes with, due to his dress, _had_ to be the emperor of Kutou, although it was not the same man Tamahome had recalled hearing about. His face was warmer, a smile upon his lips in place of the familiar scowl. He looked as though nothing in the world could possibly ruin his mood, as though his country was _not_ war torn and poverty stricken. It simply did not make sense.

But what made even _less_ sense was how warmly he had greeted them. It was as if they were old friends.

"Welcome to my court," he proclaimed jovially, motioning for the rest of his audience to give his guests proper respect; they all bowed, smiling brightly.

Miaka was the first to recover from this. "Thanks," she replied simply, her eyes wide. Tamahome cringed at the informality of it, although the emperor didn't seem to mind at all. Rather, he laughed. The rest of the court joined in, everyone seeming as though there wasn't a care in the world.

During this moment of frivolity, Tamahome noticed that a particularly well-dressed woman beside the emperor was very familiar.

"Soi," Tamahome muttered under his breath, and Miaka looked up to him before back to the person he was staring at. She gasped as she too recognized her.

But what was more shocking than seeing her in that position was the absence of her husband, Nakago. Usually they were inseparable, unless Nakago was otherwise preoccupied… But if everything was so laughably grand, why would he need to be out?

Tamahome seemed to figure this out first, and looked back towards the entrance alarmingly fast, as though he expected Nakago to be right behind them. The hall was just as clear as it had been, though. This disconcerted him even more.

As he turned back around, he noticed that a tall, olive skinned man had come up to them. He was holding out one of his muscular arms out towards the room, motioning for them to enter. His expression was warm, but distant. Miaka wondered vaguely if she had ever met the man before, although he did not have any distinguishing features she could pin to someone in particular.

She parted her lips, wanting to ask the man his name, but Tamahome had grabbed hold of her arm and had began to pull her away from the room.

Waving his hand in a "No, we mustn't," way, he apologized, "Thanks, but we really have to be going. Bye!"

* * *

"The hell?" Tasuki moaned, coming to a dead stop at an intersection of sorts, one smaller hallway intersecting with a larger, grander corridor, the connection adorned with a detailed statue of Seiryuu. "We've been runnin' around for the past twenty minutes, and we've seen this thing four times!"

While Hotohori was not one to complain as outwardly as Tasuki, he did place his hand atop Chichiri's shoulder and asked quietly, "What's going on?"

Chichiri, who was staring intently at the statue, remained silent. His fellow warriors weren't even given hints as to what he was thinking.

"Maybe if we stay put long enough, they'll eventually run in to us," Tasuki pointed out, leaning against the wall and looking hopeful, even though he knew this was exactly the wrong thing to do. Hotohori's glare confirmed it.

"This way," Chichiri finally said, pointing his staff to the left. He then hurried down the hall, Hotohori running to catch up and Tasuki swearing under his breath before following behind.

* * *

"Something definitely isn't right," Tamahome muttered under his breath as he stalked away, leaving the olive skinned man looking disappointedly after them.

"Yeah," Miaka agreed, glancing over her shoulder for a moment before Tamahome pulled on her arm, getting her to look forward. "Everyone was too happy. And that man…"

"Never mind that, I just want to get out of here. Now."

They weren't as lucky this time around, though. Every which way they tried to turn, people were gathered, chatting lightheartedly, walking together, enjoying the lavish castle, all seemingly out of nowhere.

Miaka's concern was growing exponentially as Tamahome became more and more frantic, it becoming harder and harder to remain unseen. She pulled on his arm, trying to get him to stop and calm down; he turned his head to try and tell her off before he ran flatly into another person who he could have sworn was not there last he had looked.

"Oh," the man exclaimed softly, although Tamahome was not sure why; the man was at least a foot taller than him and looked as though nothing had happened at all. "I'm terribly sorry."

"No problem," Tamahome replied, wanting to get past him and continue on; he wasn't a threat.

The man reached out to take Tamahome's shoulder in his large hand. Tamahome looked up to him to see that he was looking concernedly down to him.

"You two seem anxious. What ever could be the problem?"

"We're just trying to find an exit," Tamahome explained, as calmly as he could. Miaka was tugging on his sleeve, but he ignored her.

"Oh?" The man responded, cocking an eyebrow and smiling a bit. "What for? Why don't you stay, don't you know about the feast?"

"Feast?" Miaka repeated without thinking, causing Tamahome to roll his eyes.

"Yes, of course!" The man replied, smiling gently to them. "I'm positive you will be welcome."

"We really have to get going. What's there to celebrate, anyway?"

"The fertility and serenity of our land, of course."

"… What?"

The man blinked and tilted his head to the side, puzzled. "You are confused?"

Feeling ever more bothered, Tamahome replied, "Last I checked, this country was war-torn and poverty stricken."

There was a long silence, and both Miaka and Tamahome were silently worried that perhaps, Tamahome had gone too far.

But after a few moments, the man simply laughed airily at them. "You must be mistaken. Come now, follow me."

He turned, as though to leave, and walked a few paces before turning back around, his expression showing his confusion at them not following.

"Is something the matter?"

Miaka looked up to Tamahome, unsure of what to do, although Tamahome did not look back to her.

"No," Tamahome replied stiffly, taking a step towards the man and motioning for Miaka to walk along side him. "Not at all."


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.Yes, we update for Christmas!

* * *

Miaka could hardly remember a room better suited for a feast. Lamps and torches lit the room to where it seemed as if they were all outdoors, in spite of the lack of exterior windows. Marvelous statues stood tall in the four corners, their inlayed precious stones glittering in the firelight. But the one thing that Miaka could simply not believe was the vast amounts of food laid generously along the table, the table itself stretching nearly the length of the floor. Even a room in Konan could hardly measure up to this, even if it pained her to think such thoughts. 

It was odd, though; she had never gotten the impression that Kutou was _this_ well off. Konan had always seemed grander, more spectacular.

Tamahome stood very closely to his priestess, constantly shifting his gaze, the amount of people in the room disturbing him. The man from the hall and escorted them to two seats very near where it seemed the emperor himself would be seated. Tamahome gave the man an odd look, as if questing if they were _actually_ going to be sitting there, but he waved his hand graciously and asked them to "Please, sit," and they obliged.

Tamahome had to keep Miaka from taking food too early; her hand had gotten a little red because of the number of times he had to smack it away. It seemed, however, that by the end of their little game Miaka had done it only for the amusement of seeing Tamahome furrow his brow; they had both ended up smiling.

It took the voice of someone horribly familiar to cease their game.

"You're welcome to begin eating," she said, chuckling softly.

Both Miaka and Tamahome's heads swung around to their left in order to see that Soi, just as grandly dressed as before, was sitting beside them, her hands folded neatly in her lap and looking amused. Miaka was only able to gape at her, not knowing how on Earth she hadn't noticed, while Tamahome burst out, "Soi!"

She tutted at him and replied, "Is that any way to address me?" although she didn't look phased. He quickly apologized on a reflex, to which she replied, "Think nothing of it."

Miaka, who had apparently taken Soi's original offer to heart, quickly began to fill her plate as Tamahome simply continued to gaze at Soi.

"You seem famished," Soi commented, smiling a bit at Miaka.

Unable to speak due to the food, she made a noise of agreement. Tamahome, who wasn't sure if he would be able to eat at all, nevertheless began to place food on his own plate, not wanting to seem disrespectful. "We are both thankful for being invited here, especially due to our circumstances."

She continued to smile as she poured wine into their goblets. "There's no harm in your circumstances; you're both here as honored guests, after all. Why else would you be seated among royalty?" She motioned to the smiling emperor with a wave of her hand.

Tamahome, who had lifted his goblet to his lips to drink, placed it back on the table as he repeated, "Honored guests?" while trying to keep suspicion out of his tone.

Soi blinked at him. "You are, after all, accompanying the Priestess of Suzaku."

Tamahome blinked as well. "This is true. And this…I mean, you being of Kutou…" He left the thought hanging, both to suggest his concern and show he wasn't sure how to finish the idea tactfully.

"Yeah," Miaka added, placing her goblet back on to the table, with which she had just taken a large gulp. "Shouldn't you be arresting us?" Tamahome, eyes wide, muttered, 'Fool!' to Miaka, although she didn't seem concerned.

Soi laughed lightly and questioned, "And what have you done against Kutou?"

Tamahome, speaking before Miaka got a chance to, replied, "Nothing, I hope."

"Of course you've done nothing. Having a visit from a priestess is a rare honor, so of course I was eager to make an appearance before you at our feast."

"Without Nakago?" Miaka asked her.

Soi stared at Miaka for a moment, a crease in her brow. "… Nakago?" She sounded as though she had ever heard the name.

Tamahome had to force himself to look away from Soi, as he had lost count of the seconds he had been gazing at her in disbelief. "Yes, Nakago. He's a general."

"Perhaps not one in Kutou," Soi pondered. "He probably doesn't have much rank here if even the princess hasn't heard of him."

"She doesn't?" Miaka asked, her eyes a bit wider. "Kutou has a princess?"

Having been aware of the way royalty sometimes spoke, Tamahome realized that Soi might have been referring to herself. Not wanting to offend, he went about finding out by means of a vague, "Princess…?"

Soi nodded. "Yes?"

Miaka dropped her utensils in surprise. "You're a princess? And Nakago… you can't even remember your own husband?" She turned to look at Tamahome and commented lowly, "Something is definitely wrong here."

In the same tone, Tamahome replied to Miaka, "Agreed." Speaking normally, he apologized to Soi, "Forgive me, Princess, we were ignorant of your true position. As he waited to see whether or not she would accept that, he thought to himself that he knew she hadn't been a princess the whole time… Right? Was this some kind of double?

She shook her head forgivingly. "It's quite alright. Are you enjoying the hospitality here, Priestess?"

Miaka nodded. "Oh, it's nice, thank you." After a short pause, she began, "Uh, speaking of Priestesses… what about Yui, the Priestess of Seiryuu?"

"Naturally, we'd welcome her with a far more extravagant celebration. She is our own awaited Priestess, after all, so it'd only be natural."

Speaking slowly, Tamahome asked, "Do you mean to say that she hasn't come yet?"

"She would be at the head of the banquet if she had," Soi replied matter-of-factly.

Miaka stared at Soi, knowing for a fact that Yui was here, that she was the Priestess of Seiryuu right now.

"Where is Yui? Did you do something to her?"

Soi's brow furrowed. "I beg your pardon?"

Tamahome placed a hand on Miaka's shoulder and said swiftly, "Calm down, this is just a misunderstanding."

Miaka shook him off and continued to address Soi; "No! Are you just keeping her locked up here because she isn't the Priestess after all? She just told me she was!" Speaking much more seriously, she continued, "She came to save me from Nakago. I know Nakago is here too. I don't know what you're doing, Soi, but I won't have any of it!"

"Princess Soi," Tamahome started, his first instinct to attempt to apologize to her to keep them from trouble. His mouth was open to begin forming the words, but before he realized it a completely different thought was being expressed. "What is going on? Yui and Nakago are both here, we know this! What's happened to them? Where are they?"

Soi gave them both extremely cold looks, her hands placed tightly in her lap, and her back straightened as she sat at her full height. "Are you calling your hostess a liar?" She asked them, her voice dangerously low.

Apparently having noticed that their Princess was disturbed, three guards approached where they sat. One of them asked, "Princess! Are these guests causing you trouble?"

"Most certainly," she replied in the same, cold voice. Standing grandly, she pronounced, "Have them arrested!"

Tamahome followed her in standing, attempting to shield Miaka from both her and the guards. "No, Soi, tell us where they are!"

"Take them away," Soi snapped, and in spite of Tamahome's best efforts, the guards were successful in dragging them from the banquet hall, Tamahome and Miaka losing sight of one of the biggest enigmas they had encountered that evening.

* * *

"It makes sense!" Tamahome groaned, pacing the length of the cell with his arms folded across his chest, looking livid.

"I'm glad you have this all figured out," Miaka pouted in reply, she sitting against the wall with her legs brought up to her chest.

"No, you see," Tamahome started, stopping in his tracks in order to face Miaka, "this was all a set up! They planned this to begin with!"

Miaka merely stared at him.

"All of this was a lie, it was just to confuse us, to get us off guard. Everything's the same as it was before, we're still in the same war-torn country, they just put up this… this act to make it easier to put us here! That was their plan from the start!" He continued his pacing and had to restrain himself from kicking the wall. It was so clear now!

Miaka wasn't sure she agreed with this theory. Everything just felt too… different, for that to be true. It couldn't have all just been an act… right?

"Nakago!" Tamahome bellowed, causing Miaka to yelp and jump. "We know your game, come on out now, you have us just where you planned!" He would have continued in his jeering if he hadn't felt Miaka at his side.

She had his arm in her hands and was looking up to him with fearful eyes. "Tamahome," she started, her voice quiet and wavering, "Don't aggravate him, don't…"

He looked to her for a moment, feeling his anger begin to ebb away, before he sighed and placed his nearest arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry," he said, patting her shoulder and looking away from her, out towards the rest of the dungeon. "We'll… we'll get out of this," he started, to which Miaka nodded in agreement. "The others will come, unless we figure a way out first."

Miaka nodded again before she closed the distance from them, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest. He looked a bit surprised, although tightened his grip protectively around her all the same, and looked down to her.

Their eyes had just barely met before the sound of a man's yell resonated through the chamber, causing the pair of them to jump and separate, Miaka looking frightened and Tamahome scrutinizing.

From the small amount of light that was in the chamber, they were able to discern a guard being thrown against a wall by a person out of their range; the man did not rise from the floor after he fell.

Miaka gasped and once again took hold of Tamahome, he himself cursing the fact that he was completely defenseless against whatever force was coming. He could hear footsteps growing louder, and the sound of a sword being unsheathed. Miaka could not help herself, a whimper escaped from her lips, her grip on Tamahome's arm vice-like.

"Miaka?" yet another familiar voice asked.

"Hotohori?" Miaka and Tamahome both exclaimed in surprise.

His frame became visible as he neared their cell. He looked a bit ruffled, as though he had to have met a few obstacles on his way to them, although he looked just as regal and debonair as he ever did.

"I'm so glad to have found you," he told them, reaching through the bars in order to take Miaka's outstretched hand.

"I'm glad you found us," Miaka replied, smiling brightly at him. Hotohori took a step back in order to assess their situation, and remarked under his breath, "I see you've done a fair job keeping the Priestess safe; these bars will surely keep any hostiles away from her."

Tamahome's eyes narrowed, but he managed to keep from being too annoyed as he came back with, "Can you help us or not?"

Hotohori ran his fingers across the hinges to their cell door and replied, "Yes, although I can't see how this won't make noise."

"That doesn't matter, just hurry it up."

Hotohori huffed a bit, to which Miaka rolled her eyes. What was wrong with them?

"Chichiri and Tasuki should soon find us," Hotohori told them, stepping further away from the door, readying himself for his strike.

"Why aren't they with you?" Miaka asked as Tamahome led her away from the entrance, back to where they would not be in danger of Hotohori's attack.

"We split up," he replied flatly.

In less time than it would have taken to blink an eye, the chamber was filled with the sound of resonating bars as Hotohori cut cleanly through them with his own blade, setting Miaka and Tamahome free.

Miaka, shaking a bit at the intensity of the sound, crawled through the space and was followed by Tamahome, who spoke to Hotohori. "Are you sure that was a wise idea?"

"It wasn't mine."

Looking nervously from side to side, Miaka commented, "We should get out of here while we can."

The two men made noises of agreement as they walked briskly towards the way in which Hotohori had entered the place. As they exited the dungeon, Hotohori whispered, "This way," while motioning towards a hall to their left. They had hardly begun to cross it before they were interrupted by a voice.

"What… what are you doing?"

The man who had spoke, Miaka noticed, was strikingly similar to the man who had assisted them before. His eyes were wide, shocked even, as though he couldn't believe they would have the nerve to try and escape.

After a moment of shocked silence, Tamahome was the one to speak to him. "We have to leave. Something isn't right." He tried to lead Miaka and Hotohori away, but the man caught him at the arm.

"I can't let you leave," the man said softly, roughly, his eyes still wide- fear was seeping in to his expression.

Tamahome tore his arm away, his mouth open to retort, although he was interrupted.

"Hotohori! Miaka!"

It was Chichiri; finally, he and Tasuki had found the others. Miaka called out their names happily, very relieved to see them.

Chichiri stopped dead beside Tamahome, having then noticed that there was a strange man in their presence beside his fellow warriors and priestess. "Tamahome, this is a spell, no da. An illusion." Tasuki looked dumbfounded; apparently Chichiri had not informed him of this beforehand. "We have to leave, now," hissed the monk, eyeing the man through his mask.

"That's exactly what I was trying-" Tamahome started, although he lost his words as the room began to darken, torches being extinguished one by one although there was no one person causing them to.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase. Yes, we update on New Years!

* * *

Tamahome instinctively moved in front of Miaka, and he felt Hotohori do the same. Miaka gasped and pointed to the end of the hall, where their olive-skinned man had been, although he was replaced with someone they had been expecting all along. 

"Nakago," Tamahome muttered, his eyes narrowing in the darkness.

Tasuki, his tessen drawn, was holding it out to the blond man, although he seemed reluctant to strike. "The hell…? What's wrong with him?"

It was only then that the group at large seemed to notice that this Nakago wasn't as they had expected. His face lacked any expression; no pride, no anger, nothing that usually adorned his face. His movement as well seemed jerky, as though he was being puppeted by someone else.

"Chichiri!" Tasuki barked, demanding some kind of explanation from the man, although Chichiri was already deep in thought about the situation.

Just as he had told them all before, this was all an illusion; this Nakago and probably every other person they had come across wasn't real. He thought back to how he had figured this out earlier. Even _he_ wasn't real…

* * *

While they had been walking in a hallway adorned with windows, Chichiri had been gazing out at the clouds as they walked, not out of boredom or lack of concentration, but rather he had noticed something exceedingly odd. 

The sun had not been moving.

His mask furrowed as he looked away from the windows, but something equally, if not more, surprising met him there. A face, a horribly familiar face met his eyes before he walked briskly around a corner, leaving Chichiri speechless.

Without thinking, he ran, leaving Tasuki and Hotohori behind him. Their calls of confusion fell on deaf ears as he bounded around the corner, although disappointingly he was met with an empty space. The hall was bare with undecorated walls, and no other people to fill the space.

He turned around, planning to apologize to his friends before he saw that the way he had came had disappeared; what was left was another long corridor that lead directly to the figure he had chased.

"Hikou!"

Hikou had stood silently, glaring hatefully at Chichiri with balled fists. Chichiri quickly removed his mask and began to walk slowly towards him, stunned. "Why are you here?" he asked the figure, but his words only seemed to infuriate the man more. The monk's old acquaintance stepped forward, no need for words. The familiar, incensed face said enough. Hikou lunged at him, to which Chichiri did not react, not having the will to flinch nor dodge, rather he only closed his eye and waited for impact.

Seconds passed and he felt nothing. He opened his eye again and saw that Hikou's fist had passed through his cheek instead of planting against it; this could not have been real.

"An illusion," Chichiri murmured as he held the man's gaze, seconds before he replaced his mask and the image of Hikou was gone. Today was not yet their day to meet again after all.

* * *

"Chichiri!" Tasuki barked, much more loudly. "What do we do, huh?" 

Chichiri shook his head and looked back to the Nakago, only to discover that another was stepping out from the darkness. As Tasuki vocalized his surprise, one more appeared, and it didn't seem as though it would stop there.

Tamahome shifted his stances one after another, trying to accommodate for the growing number of attackers he was going to have to deal with. As if one Nakago wasn't enough! Hotohori held his sword out protectively in front of Miaka, glad his back was facing her so she could not see the growing concern in his eyes. Tasuki, apparently sick of the growing tension in the room, yellowed out aggressively and pulled his arm back, preparing to strike; but before the words even began to form in his mouth, he was propelled back with a blast of blue light and noise. His entire form hit a stone wall which had been at least ten meters behind him.

Miaka shrieked as Hotohori, in a lapse of concentration, watched as Tasuki hit the ground. He was awakened from his shock as he heard something whipping through air, and he barely caught with his sword the end of a whip another Nakago had attempted to strike him with.

Chichiri had taken another Nakago on his own. He clutched his staff tightly as the figure's eyes met his. _Are any of these real? How do we know which one is, if that is the case no da?_ he pondered, moving with inhuman speed as the Nakago charged towards him.

Livid that he had not been able to prevent the Nakago from attacking Miaka and Hotohori, Tamahome yelled and threw a punch which he knew was much to far out of range in order to actually hurt anyone. More than his frustration left his fist, however; a magnificent red blast left his fist and traveled at high-speed to where he had been aiming; the Nakago. It hit his figure square in the chest. If it had been any other person, they would have certainly been thrown back several meters, but Nakago simply dissipated into thin air, faster than smoke, leaving celestial warrior was stunned at the display he made.

Tasuki, having witnessed the whole thing as he pulled himself up from the ground, expressed his wide-eyed surprise with, "Damn! I didn't know you could do that!"

"Neither did I," Tamahome replied, suddenly feeling very impressed with himself.

Tasuki sprinted over to Tamahome to help him with an approaching Nakago, getting his first chance to send a blast of flames at his opponent. Giving a fanged grin, he squared off against another with Tamahome at his side, this Nakago having drawn a long sword against them.

Chichiri thought quickly as he was charged against, and threw his hat toward the man. It landed squarely on his head, but instead of staying there it sank to the ground, as if it were melting through the Nakago as it swallowed him up. The hat landed neatly on the ground as his feet vanished into the brim, and Chichiri picked it back up and placed it on his own head, pleased that plan had worked. He turned his attention to Tasuki and Tamahome, who were using their abilities nicely in order to combat the armed Nakago. Chichiri's eye widened under his mask, however, as they did not notice a second figure was coming from behind. Having no time to give them a verbal warning, he acted instinctively and thrust his staff towards his friends. In no time at all, a dome shaped barrier surrounded them as well as the Nakago they had been facing off against.

Tasuki yelped as the Nakago before him vanished into thin air, the spell keeping him there apparently yielding to the one Chichiri had cast, and he whipped around in order to see Chichiri through the semi-translucent wall surrounding them. With his hand, Chichiri made a sweeping motion towards the second Nakago, and a bolt of energy shot from his dome, spearing and causing the Nakago to disappear. As the barrier fell and Tasuki and Tamahome were let go, Tamahome said gruffly, "Thanks," and Tasuki, "You saved our asses."

"Pretty much, no da," Chichiri replied, smiling a bit.

Hotohori had battled no less than three fake-Nakagos, and had caused Miaka to realize just how skilled he was at his craft. She had even began to feel relatively safe in his presence, as the forms had seemingly become reluctant to get too close to them. He, not one for over-confidence, squared off against another as it came within his range, but as they began to attack and counter, Hotohori became more anxious, and with good reason. In a blink of an eye, Hotohori's sword had been robbed from his hand, leaving him bare against Nakago's extended arm. A second later he was thrust backwards by a blue light, and to his horror he realized he must have caught Miaka behind him as they both slammed into the wall.

Whipping his head around at the sound, Tamahome shouted, "Miaka!" as he saw what had happened to her, although not a second after he had screamed a much louder and more agonizing one came from Tasuki.

Tasuki fell to the ground, supporting himself with all fours, panting heavily and grimacing worse than Tamahome had ever seen him do. Tamahome looked around them, seeing no attacker who could have done this to him, and then he watched as Miaka recovered herself from the wall, not a scrape on her. Tasuki groaned from the ground, "Dammit! Why do you two have to be so clumsy!"

"It's not our fault, Tasuki!" Miaka yelled back as she helped Hotohori up. Tamahome still wasn't sure what to make of this.

Chichiri had seen enough. It was apparent by now that not a single one of the remaining Nakagos was the real figure, so it was simple enough to rid them of these illusions.

"Everyone," Chichiri called out to them, "brace yourselves."

Chichiri moved to the center of their enclosure and brought his staff up over his head with both hands. There was a second delay where he felt all eyes on him, even those of the Nakago-doppelgangers, before he threw his weight onto thrusting the staff back down, the end hitting the ground with a sound like thunder. From his central position a sphere of life force, similar to the barrier he had produced earlier, expanded and began to fill the room. As the sphere traveled faster than any man could run, the walls shook as the Nakagos were hit one by one, each disappearing in turn.

There was a moment where nothing was left but the Suzaku warriors and their priestess, they were all thinking that finally, perhaps, they had won.

The walls around them began to crumble. The darkened room relinquished itself of any remaining light they had used to fight, but in the distance the broad figure of the olive-skinned man neared them. He was crouched over with a white shell in his hand, and looked up to face them. It wasn't quite the appearance he had in the illusion, as he was completely ungroomed and hunched over unconfidently. He was non-threatening; his eyes held a sorrow that struck each and every warrior with an intensity they the hadn't known they could feel simply by observing. It took a moment for them all to realize what they had to do. This was the man who had been controlling the figments and characters in the illusion, and they still were not free of his trap.

As Hotohori advanced with his reclaimed sword, moving to kill, Miaka shouted, "Ashitare!" having finally realized who this wretched man really was. The man locked eyes with her in surprise as she said his name, giving no notice to Hotohori as his sword sliced cleanly into Ashitare's center.

The image of his woe-stricken face was burned in to her minds eye as he fell, and it didn't go unnoticed by his murderer either. _I'm almost sorry to kill him… even if it doesn't seem that he minds. _He hit the ground weightlessly, it seemed, before his body as well disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

It took only seconds for the darkness to lift. Their eyes readjusted as light filled their vision, they finding themselves in an outside hall; the last lights of the evening upon them. 

"We should go," Chichiri said quietly. He was about to spread out his tunic when someone sent a bolt of lightning towards his hand, alarming everyone. They turned quickly to see Soi at one end of the hall, in her usual armor and nothing princess-like about her.

"Damn," Tamahome muttered under his breath, quickly turning around to face another person he knew couldn't be far off. Nakago was only a few meters away and looked directly back at him.

"Leaving, Kishuku?" he said in a flat tone. "And kidnapping the Priestess? I told you to bring her to me when Lady Yui was finished with her. My quarters aren't in that direction."

"Rekka… Shinen!!"

His blonde locks whipped around in the air as the startled general looked in the direction where the other voice had come from. He was just quick enough to brace himself for the oncoming flames. Tasuki rested his tessen against his shoulder with his signature smirk. "Haven't we seen enough of you already?"

While Nakago was distracted by the flames, Chichiri had swiftly jumped out the window to have a safer spot to lay his tunic. "Tasuki!" Miaka turned to him as the others were following, "We need to get out of here!"

"You don't have to tell me--"

He was cut off by a blot of lightning directly hitting his arm and sending him back a few feet. When he looked to see where it had come from, Soi's hand was still sending off sparks and her face was pent up in anger, but she immediately headed to her husband. In front of Tasuki, Nakago stood up. He was mostly alright, but his armor was scorched and his hands were burned. The Suzaku warrior flinched and held his left arm as he yelled to his comrades, "Get out th' window, now!"

The girl ran to the window and stepped up to the ledge and leapt out into the stiff air, trusting that Chichiri would be ready for her. On the ground, Chichiri had recovered enough from Soi's attack to catch Miaka and let her bounce to her feet, and stepped out of the way as the other three warriors landed on their own. He had his cloak ready to transport them back to Konan, and as they began to sink into it, Miaka looked back the open window one last time.

Yui appeared in it. She didn't try to say anything or do anything to stop Miaka from leaving, but merely gave her a very disappointed glance. The very next thing Miaka saw was the ceiling in the Konan palace.

* * *

Doukun heard a strange noise coming from Miaka's bedroom and curiously peered inside. 

"Medic," Tasuki coughed from underneath the others.

"Are you alright?" the boy gaped and rushed in, trying to help Tasuki and Chichiri both up at once from the tangled pile they landed in. "I just heard from Nuriko that you were headed back to the Kutou palace again. I'm surprised you're back so soon!"

"Nuriko's here? Then is Tamahome's family here, too?" Miaka perked up.

He nodded. "They only got here late this afternoon. Is this Tamahome, then?"

"My family is here? Where are they?" he quickly got to his feet. "How are they?"

"Hey, I found Big Brother!" Yuiren squealed from the doorway. She had also been alerted by the strange noise, and came running. She ran even faster to jump into his lap. "Were you here all along? Was this the palace you stayed at? It took a loooong time to get here!" she exaggeratedly stretched her arms out. "Thiiiiiis long!"

"No, this place…" he started, but stopped and took advantage of her wide open arms and hugged her tightly. "Yeah, I've been waiting for us all to be here together!"

"Here!?" she gasped. "But they said this was the Priestess of Suzaku's room! You were here all along!?" Tamahome didn't bother carrying the conversation any further. The rest of his family promptly showed up and showered their missing member with love. He happily received it all, and could care less that others were watching.

Fighting tears, Miaka smiled. _Even if this wish was a mistake… even if I might screw up again anyway… seeing this again makes it all worth it. I'm glad you can be with your family again, Tamahome. _

"I was so worried about all of you," murmured Tamahome as he held two of his siblings on his lap and kept their heads close to him. "When I heard they brought you here, I came as fast as I could. Who knows what that priestess might have done to you?"

"Hey! Whose side are you on now, Tamahome?"

"Hello… a little help here?" groaned Tasuki. "Hey, watch the arm, kid!"

"Speaking of what they might do to us," Tamahome looked up to Chuuei over his armful of siblings, "have you asked about the bill?"

"Your family is welcome to stay here free of charge," Nuriko regally stepped in, followed by the other warriors. "Even after Suzaku is summoned, you all can live in Konan. I'll make sure of that."

"It doesn't matter if you're from Kutou," smiled Kaika fondly. "I'm sure you'll be able to call Konan your home someday."

"Did you hear that?" Yuiren looked back up at her brother, "This is our new home. And it's really, really, really big!"


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

Introductions didn't last much longer and injuries were tended to. Dinner was served and plans were made to summon Suzaku in the next couple of days. After Miaka had cleaned herself up and had a few moments to herself that evening, she flopped out on her bed and reflected on what was going on. 

_I'm going to summon Suzaku in just a few days. All my warriors are alive and well, right here with me. The others we care about- Shouka, Doukun, Tamahome's family- they're all going to be happy, too. Is this it? Will my wish work? _

She frowned. _Yui might be mad at me even after all of this, though. And Tamahome and I… I thought maybe we'd be able to be together this time, but in such a short time, we can't really know each other like we knew each other before. I'm lucky I even got him back on my side!_

_Everyone will be safe and happy… but what if I loose Yui and Tamahome? I know it's for the best, but I wish this time hadn't come so soon._

"Miaka?" a voice came from outside her door.

"Oh!" she sat back up. "Come in, Doukun!"

He quietly entered and formally handed her the Universe of the Four Gods scroll. "I took care of it just like I was asked."

"Thank you, Ch--Doukun," she smiled and received it. "Kind of ironic that after it's been so important for so long that it's just going to get set on fire, huh?"

"Very ironic, isn't it?" he smiled back. "Are you excited?"

"Of course! But… I do wish I didn't have to do the ceremony so soon. It would be nice if I had more time here, you know?"

"Maybe Suzaku will grant you that wish."

"Who knows?" she laughed. "Actually, I haven't given much thought to what exactly I'm going to wish for. The safety of Konan and everyone I know here, of course… but beyond that, I don't know. There are so many possibilities. What would you wish for?"

"Me?" he blinked, somewhat embarrassed. "Well…"

"I'll bet you'd want to do well on your exams!" Miaka answered for him. "Me too, actually. I bet you've been studying this whole time."

"Well, I've been busy," he replied, "but I think I would wish to do something else, something more. Be able to do something to follow my own destiny."

"Oh?" Miaka leaned in with interest. "You did say you liked the thought of being a Suzaku warrior. Is that what you mean?"

"Perhaps. But it wouldn't do much good to wish to be a Suzaku warrior once Suzaku is already summoned, now would it?"

They laughed, and then left. Miaka wandered outside and enjoyed the moonlit view of the deck on the lake. She had a very distinct memory of being out there on another moonlit night shortly before the ceremony to summon Suzaku. That was also after reuniting with Tamahome… they kissed very deeply that night.

Tamahome, by all coincidences, was also walking around outside to clear his head. He noticed her staring off in a daze, and how her cheeks were tinted pink. It was nice now that he could openly see her as his priestess. The priestess that he had waited for, and also hoped never to meet, yet longed to--

_This is nuts! She's just my Priestess and I hated her yesterday! I shouldn't be thinking anything like that. She's going to leave as soon as we're done summoning Suzaku. _

He turned around to defiantly walk away from his own thoughts, but images of smiling Miaka and Miaka clinging to him still crept into his head.

_This is stupid! I followed my destiny and came here to be her warrior. Isn't that enough? Won't these pictures of her go away already!? _

He turned back to look at her again, and this time Miaka noticed. "Oh, Tamahome!" she sing-songed. "What do you think of the Konan palace? Well, I guess this isn't your first time being here, but… what are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

She smiled impishly and bounced over to his side to tease him. "You weren't looking that way at _me, _were you?"

"I just noticed that you had your hair down. I didn't know it was that long," he grumbled and looked away as if it were nothing special.

"You," she stopped, "you _were_ looking at me?" _Do Tamahome and I still have a chance of falling in love here?_

"Don't get any funny ideas!" he snapped. "It's just because no one else was out here, and--"

"You're right. We're alone," she observed. They looked around, then back at each other, then quickly back in other directions.

"This Suzaku warrior and fate stuff is still a little foreign to me," he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I mean, just yesterday you were supposed to be my enemy, so I'm still trying to adjust to the shock of being here with my family and being on your side."

"Are you disappointed?" she frowned and looked back at him with wide eyes. "I'm probably not the priestess you pictured growing up… I'm not even grown up myself."

"It's not that at all! I never even pictured a priestess!" he snapped again. "It's just… it's just strange. Do all the Suzaku warriors have to feel like this because of fate? It's like I can't get you out of my head. That's just because I'm a celestial warrior, I bet. Ha ha… it's just weird, that's all."

"You can ask the others," she said, "but I don't think that's normal."

"What are you suggesting? That I'm supposed to fall in love with you? Am I doomed?"

"It's not doom, it's fate that we're all tied together!" she argued.

"Well I call it doom if I'm doomed to fall for some girl I don't even know!" he argued back.

"Well," she shook her fists, trying to think of a smart remark, "Maybe you are!"

Tamahome didn't expect that and had only a blank face for a response. Utterly embarrassed, Miaka ran back to her room. Once she got there, she buried her face and screamed into her pillow, "I'm an idiot!"

* * *

The day had come. The time to summon Suzaku. 

"Can we watch? Can we watch? I want to see Big Sister in a pretty dress!" Tamahome's siblings pleaded. He wasn't sure when they started calling her their sister, and sure wasn't going to ask them. He was feeling awkward around everyone as it was, but especially awkward around Miaka. Those annoying images of were still popping up in his head and following him wherever he went.

"Hey, after this, are you guys sure you don't want to move back to Kutou?" he smiled to his sisters.

"Ha ha, you're not funny, Big Brother!"

"Of course, we'll want to find a new place to live. We can't impose in the palace forever," smiled Mr. Sho, "Nuriko said that he would help us buy a nice house. They certainly are nice here."

"What are the other warriors going to do after Suzaku is summoned?" Chuuei asked. "Will we still be able to see them?"

"Well, son," he started, "Nuriko will continue to live in the palace, and it seems that he'll want Hotohori to do the same. Mitsukake told me that he and Kaika have a family to return to elsewhere in Konan."

"If we're going to get a really big house, someone else will have to clean it," Yuiren said to Gyokuran.

"Let's make Tasuki do that!" she giggled back. They laughed together, but their father and brothers didn't find it nearly as funny. Shunkei tugged on Tamahome's pant leg and asked to make sure that the 'scary man' wouldn't know where they were going to live.

"It's not up to us what everyone else does," Tamahome shrugged. "I guess that you'll still be able to see some of them sometimes."

"What about Big Sister?" asked Yuiren. "Where will she live?"

"Well," he rolled his eyes back in head to come up with an answer. "She'll probably go back to live her own world."

First she whimpered, then she wailed, then she was a sobbing pile of 5-year-old at Tamahome's feet. "But… but -hic- our house will be so big! -hic- Waaahhh…."

Tamahome broke an irritated smile. "I'm going to go see if they need me to help with anything." _That's right. After this is all taken care of, she'll leave this world forever and I'll never have to see her again! …Yes!_

* * *

Elsewhere, Miaka was talking with her other warriors about roughly the same thing. "So, are you going to go home after this?" Hotohori asked. 

Reluctantly, she shrugged. "I guess… I don't think Suzaku will let me stay if there's no reason for me to."

"You mean you're not going to stay for the wedding?" whined Nuriko as he clasped his hands together in disappointment. Hotohori choked on his tea as he heard that, and then sent a pleading look in Miaka's direction.

"Wedding? Y-y-you mean, Emperor Rokou chose a bride? Ha ha ha… good for him!"

Kaika stopped playing his flute so he could laugh out loud. "As soon as Suzaku gets here, Hotohori is going to high-tail it out of here, Nuriko!"

"What!?" he spun around to stare down his beloved suspiciously.

"Well… I would like to see Hokkan. I haven't been to that country yet. I hear they get snow there!" he nervously tried to defend himself. "You have to understand a man's need to roam."

"He said that's the only country he hasn't been to yet. Well, except Miaka's, but that's a little different," smiled Kaika. "Guess you'll have to bid him farewell--"

"He told _you _this all before telling _me_!?!" Nuriko seemingly breathed fire down his neck, causing the boy to shriek in terror. Mitsukake laughed and warned him that he was the one who would have to high-tail it after the ceremony if he kept getting himself in trouble.

Chichiri turned back to Miaka. "Are you ready no da? …Miaka?"

"Hmm?" she looked back at him, and a few tears hit her blouse when she turned her head. "Oh… Um…Yeah! This is just…"

He frowned. "We'll all miss you, too, Miaka. Even though it was such a short time, you're our Priestess and we're your warriors. It feels like we've known you so much longer than this no da."

"You have no idea," she bit her quivering lip trying to hold back more tears, but it was useless. "Oh, Chichiri! You have no idea how much I know you all… it was.. It was so short this time… I wish… I wish I could stay here longer." He merely put an arm around her shoulder and let her cry. The other warriors stopped teasing each other and quieted down as they noticed her. Tamahome also wandered by about that time and they all listened. "I love you all so much… I just wanted you all to be happy… I don't want to leave… but I'm finally going to succeed with this. I'm finally going to summon Suzaku and make sure you all are happy forever! With…" she looked around to each of their faces, stopping a little longer on Tamahome, "…or without me."

"Hey, Miaka," said Tasuki. "It's too soon t' be saying all of this. Nobody said yer goin' home right away!' Watching her cry was awkward for him.

"Right," chimed in Hotohori with a gentle smile. "Take as much time as you want. No one is in a hurry for you to make all three wishes right away."

"You're right, Hotohori," she rubbed her tears away with her sleeves. "Maybe I'll just save my last wish for a long time! There's no rush… I can always wish to go back in time to take my exams with Yui! Ha ha! Of course Suzaku will grant that kind of wish! Well… I'm going to go get ready now."

She ran off, and Hotohori frowned. He had also hoped that she would stay longer. Did she even have to go back? Would they all just have to return to their homes as if nothing happened? He turned to Tamahome, who was still looking in the direction she left. "Even though it's been an even shorter time for you, you'll miss her as well, won't you, Tamahome?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah. …Right."

The older one looked back in Miaka's direction with the other warriors. It had felt like too short a time to him as well.

* * *

Not much later, Miaka was fully clothed in her ceremonial dress, and held the Universe of the Four Gods scroll in both hands close to her chest. With a deep breath, she started up the steps to the shrine._Well, this is it. What am I so nervous about? After all, I've done this before!_

Along the steps, Tamahome's family was lined up and dressed in fancy clothes provided by the palace. They smiled and waved to her, and she waved back. After they were several imperial guards who all bowed as she passed. Doukun would have been there as well, but had excused himself to catch up some studying before his exams. Miaka was slightly disappointed, but rooted him on in her heart to follow his dream. At the top of the stairs, Emperor Rokou waited before the entrance to the shrine. "Thank you," he smiled to her, "for being the savior of our country."

Inside, her eyes had to readjust to how dark it was, but she could still recognize everyone's excited faces. This time she was sure they were all her warriors. Check.

Scroll. Check.

Spell to summon Suzaku. Check.

Fire. Check.

This was it. She recited the spell without even having to read the scroll, but she opened it anyway just to be sure (though it wasn't as if she could read characters that difficult anyway). When she finished, she tossed it into to fire, and waited with a prayerful mind.

_This is it. Suzaku is coming! I wonder if he'll remember me. _

…_This is it. Anytime now, Suzaku. _

_Suzaku? You awake in there? _

_That's funny, _she opened one eye and looked around the room, starting to get nervous. _I thought it would have worked by now… is this the part where Kaika starts playing his flute or something? _

When she looked his direction, he looked back at her with a face that asked if everything was alright. The warriors still stood silent and seriously, waiting… but growing impatient.

"Suzaku?" she spoke up, enough to startle everyone. "We're humbly awaiting Your arrival."

A voice answered her from the fire. "Fancy speech and flattery isn't going to bring Him here."

A chill went up Miaka's spine and she mentally screamed that it must be a nightmare. That was Taiitsukun's voice coming from the fire… again. "Suzaku! Y-y-y-y-ou don't sound so well! Do you need a… cough drop?" she feigned and looked back around at the warriors, who could tell that was not their god's voice in the fire.

"Are you mortified to have it go wrong, Miaka?" the voice said, and then her face started to appear, particularly as she yelled "Especially since you've only tried this _how many _times now!?" The warriors gasped-- both shocked that it went wrong and shocked by the face they saw. Kaika jumped into Mitsukake's arms in terror, drawing Taiitsukun's attention to him. "At least time you don't have an attempt on your lives being made. Yet." She turned her attention back to all the warriors. "You all can leave us alone. I'll call you back in in a few minutes."

"With pleasure," Nuriko whimpered as they left.

"I don't understand!" cried Miaka. "What went wrong? I had all my warriors!"

"Yes," she answered. "But what else was missing?"

"Nothing! Nothing was missing!"

"The scroll, Miaka!" she yelled angrily. "That was a fake. The real Universe of the Four Gods scroll was burned to ashes the day before you returned to Konan!"

"That's impossible!" the priestess protested. "I gave that scroll to Doukun to--" _Doukun? He couldn't have… _

"I thought given your past experience, you would have figured out that he was a spy and that I wouldn't have to warn you," she calmed down her tone to let Miaka think a little clearer.

"But that's impossible," she shook her head, "Doukun grew up in Konan and was going take his exams here! Why would he do that?"

"The boy you once knew as Amiboshi got his own wish granted to be a Suzaku warrior. _Someone _had to replace him in the Seiryuu warriors. Right now, he's on his merry little way to Kutou to report to Nakago."

"Then while I trusted him with the scroll, he was copying it?" she asked and sank to her knees. "So I screwed up again? I'm a failure as a priestess all over again."

"Not yet," replied Taiitsukun. "You know there's still Shinzaho to find. And you know that Nakago will still want to race you to them."

"Or use me to find them," finished Miaka. "I know."

"I know you know. And I also don't need to warn you about keeping your virginity or that it will get far more dangerous for your warriors from here on out."

"You just warned me about them anyway."

"Knowing you, it could never hurt."

"Since this is my second try, I guess you really can't give me any more help like you did last time," her eyes sank. "Maybe things will be harder this time after all."

"I never said anything about not giving your warriors their gifts, Miaka," she said. "After all, it's not their fault."

"Yeah, yeah, just rub it in," Miaka folded her arms, using a defensive tone. "Do you want me to go get them now?"

"If you please."

Miaka poked out and called the warriors to return- some more nervous than others about the witch in the fire. Tamahome and Tasuki clung together and refused. "No way! Nothing good is going to come from talking with that sand witch!"

"Come on, guys, I'm not in the mood to argue right now!" she argued anyway. "It's supposed to make you stronger."

"My stomach is too weak to look at her!"

"Get in here, Tasuki!" she yelled. "You too, Tama-- hmm… well… nevermind. You're not getting anything anyway."

"Hey! That's not fair!"

They followed her in anyway, and were presented with the same gifts as before, or the items they already carried were made stronger, such as Kaika's flute. While they were looking over their new toys, Miaka turned back to the image in the fire. "Isn't this the part where you throw ashes on me and bless me?"

"I can throw sand on you if you want, but it won't do any good. There's nothing special in these ashes."

"Oh. Right."

Taiitsukun did the warriors the favor of explaining the Shinzaho and their options for trying to summon Suzaku again. "One more thing, Miaka."

Miaka was in no mood to continue being preached to, as she already hated herself at the moment as it was. "What now?"

"Don't snap at me!" she snapped back. "All I was going to do was wish you good luck, you foolish Priestess!"

"Oh," she shrunk back. "Sorry… and thanks."

* * *

Together, they walked back outside the shrine. The warriors had already explained to those anxiously waiting outside that the ceremony had failed, so Miaka wouldn't have to do that herself. Rokou wasn't pleased as Chichiri explained that they would have to leave again to find the Shinzaho, and Miaka scooted behind Hotohori, wanting to hide in shame. She was mentally berating herself when Yuiren tugged at her hand. "Does this mean you're not going home yet?" 

She shook her head, and Yuiren grew very pleased and ran away with a giggle. Hotohori looked back to his priestess and tried to comfort her. "It looks like one of your wishes might already have come true."

"Yeah," she weakly smiled back. "And I'm going to make sure the other wishes do, too!"

* * *

**Author Notes: **If you were familiar with our other Fushigi Yuugi fanfiction, then you knew that we wouldn't have let Doukun get away without a bigger part in this! Kudos to those who figured that out, though in your reviews, many of you were suspicious from the start. Once again, thank you all very, very much for you reviews. We treasure them all and will continue bringing you new chapters as regularly as possible as we move into the PART TWO of this fic. -_Appaku_


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

"Man, I can't believe that kid was a spy!" grumbled the fanged warrior, "We were gettin' played this whole dang time!" 

Sadly, Kaika put his flute away his lips. It was the day after the summoning, and Miaka had already announced to the group that they would have to search for the Shinzaho outside of Konan. Kaika had been playing cheerful tunes to try to encourage the group, but he wasn't very into them himself. "I wonder how long we'll be traveling."

"Search me," replied Tasuki. "I just hope they decide against the boat idea."

"Why? Do you get sea sick?"

"Something like that."

"Ju-- I mean, Mitsukake could always help you with that."

"Not like that."

"Huh?" he blinked. "You're making no sense."

"Never mind that," Tasuki tried to change the subject, "I'll bet Mitsukake is feeling the most down about having to go. I mean, he's got a kid on the way and he might not make it back alive to see it for all we know."

Kaika answered with a frown. "The baby isn't an 'it'." Saying that was just covering up that he did want to think about anyone getting killed. Anyone.

"We'll probably go head t' head with the Seiryuu warriors more often like this," continued Tasuki. "I'm kinda fired up for that. Tamahome, though, he came from Kutou. I hope he didn't have any old friends there. Naw, I kinda don't get the drift he did… still, that's kind of weird, having one of the Suzaku warriors being from our enemies."

"It's not that strange," said the other warrior. "After all, I came from Kutou, too."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, but that was a long time ago," his eyes sank. "There's not really anything for me to go back to, though. Konan's way better than some ransacked country like Kutou."

"Two warriors from there, then?" gawked Tasuki. "That's even weirder."

"I'm not entirely sure, but I think Hotohori is also a foreigner."

"Then that's three times as weird! If it were up to me, I'd make us all born and raised in Konan, especially if we're meant to save this place!"

"Ha ha… right!"

* * *

Out east in Kutou, Yui was having an audience with Nakago in his study. Despite it being early in the day, the room was dark due to the drapery over the windows and door. She wasn't pleased, but wasn't as concerned about the situation as she made herself sound. "They've probably long since summoned Suzaku by now, Nakago! Couldn't we have done anything else to keep them from leaving when we had the chance?"

The general sat across from her, having his burned arms tended to by Soi. They were nearly healed, but the flesh still stung. "Please be patient, Lady Yui," he assured her, "I told you before that I had other plans waiting for this time, didn't I? We should be receiving confirmation on them very soon."

"And then what?"

"Then you'll be introduced to the rest of your warriors as we leave the country."

"Leave?" she looked surprised. "Are we going to make an early attack on Konan, even without Seiryuu?"

"My, my, you jump to conclusions so fast," Soi smiled in her direction. "You don't need to worry. Nakago has already made plans; we'll ensure your safety no matter where you are. Regardless, Konan isn't our destination."

Inwardly, the priestess felt a twinge of disappointment. Had she been curious about this country Miaka loved so much? She chased the thought out of her mind and continued listening to Nakago's plans. "The Suzaku bunch is going to lead us to what you need in order to summon Seiryuu."

"Meaning that their summoning failed? Then it would be a race to get it first."

"Please don't worry unnecessarily, Lady Yui," Nakago assured her again. "The Suzaku warriors will be not match for your own. We have all been preparing to fight for quite some time, which is probably more than I can say for most of our enemies."

"Fight?" asked Yui as she felt a knot form in her throat. _Of course, that's what warriors do! But what if they kill each other? That… that wouldn't matter at all. They're just fictional characters. If that's true, then, why do I have to trust them so much? Why am concerned in the first place? I'm starting to sound like Miaka and getting too attached. _"What will happen to Miaka?"

"Numerous things, perhaps. It depends on what kind of trouble she gets herself into."

"Don't let anyone hurt Miaka!" she barked back. "That's an order!"

The husband and wife looked to each other's amused faces before answering her. "Our purpose is to protect _you_, Lady Yui."

Before Yui could speak up again in defense of her friend, there was a small voice behind a curtain at the door. "Nakago?"

His blue eyes slid back towards the voice as he recognized it. "Here comes our confirmation now. Come in." Yui was surprised to see such a young boy confidently step up to Nakago's side. He bowed slightly to her as soon as they made eye contact, then he turned back to the general to give his report.

"Successful. They should already be making plans by now to leave."

"Thank you, Doukun."

"Who is this boy?" Yui raised her eyebrows to the general.

"My name is Ou Doukun," he said. Rolling up his long sleeve to reveal his shoulder, he continued, "Otherwise known as Amiboshi of the Seiryuu Seven."

"We have a child as a warrior?!" she yelled to Nakago.

"We have others who are childish as well," smirked Soi. "Nakago, you seem tired. Shall we draw this to a close now?"

"I've already told you, Lady Yui, there is nothing you need to worry about. I've already made sure you're well taken care of," he stood to make his exit, letting his cape fall to his ankles and swish around as he headed for the door. "If you would like, please let Doukun keep you company."

_Nakago is sometimes very irritating to talk to, _she silently complained, _I can't get a straight answer out of anyone here. Miaka was just as secretive. At least she can communicate a little bit more with her warriors! _

On that note, she side-glanced at Doukun. A conversation with a child didn't seem like much of an improvement. He felt awkward about her silence, and offered that they walk outside or somewhere brighter.

"So if Miaka and the others are leaving soon," she started, "does that mean they failed to summon Suzaku?"

"Precisely," he nodded. "While I was there, I discretely made a fake copy of the Universe of the Four Gods scroll for Miaka to use, and incinerated the original. I left the night before the ceremony, but they surely failed."

"Then they weren't attacked or anything like that?" she smiled. "That's a relief!"

He giggled. "For being your enemies, you seem fond of them."

"Only Miaka, really. She _is _my best friend, after all. Although, we are having a bit of an argument right now."

_I wouldn't call it a 'bit' of an argument if you're potentially putting others' lives at risk, _he thought, but bit his tongue. "Actually, I'm fond of them myself. Everyone in Konan was very nice, even if a little strange."

"How long were you there?"

"My entire life."

"Then what are you doing here?" she asked, feeling a little more engaged in the conversation now. "I thought you were just a spy."

"I was born in a wonderful country like Konan, and had plenty of opportunities to use my talents to help people," said Doukun, "but my real destiny was in a war torn country instead. I had planned on taking the Kakyo exams in Konan a long time ago, but as I did research over the years, I discovered what the character on my arm really meant. At first, I was angry. I didn't want to have to go to Kutou. I thought that having that destiny would ruin everything I was striving for in my own country. Being a child prodigy, of course, got me lots of attention while I was Konan. No matter how much attention you might receive, though, it doesn't mean anyone will take you seriously. It was often hard to get my points across to anyone willing to listen to a child."

"I know the feeling!" smiled Yui.

"You were just doing the same thing yourself a few minutes ago," he replied plainly.

She felt a twinge of guilt. "Sorry about that, you're right. I _can _relate, though. Even though I'm the Priestess of Seiryuu and get all kinds of attention for that, no one has been taking my concerns seriously."

He nodded. "You're welcome to discuss anything with me that you like."

"Thank you. Amiboshi, was it?" she said. "So, how did you finally decide to follow your destiny?"

"'Doukun' is fine. It was about a year and a half ago when Nakago came into contact with me. He had already been trying to gather all the Seiryuu warriors. At first, I refused, but we discussed it at adult level. He left for a short time, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like I should follow my destiny.

"After all, Seiryuu gave me heightened intelligence to help the people in Kutou. They probably needed me more as a government official there than in my own country, I thought. Beyond that, being a warrior gave me a chance to use them to my full potential. I got back into contact with Nakago of my own volition, and we formed many strategies together. Peacefully breaking up the summoning of Suzaku so we could follow them to the Shinzaho was mostly my idea, by the way," he seemed quite proud of himself. "We decided together that I should stay in Konan until that time, but once Seiryuu is summoned, Nakago has already made arrangements for me to take the Kakyo exams in Kutou."

"You're going to live here forever, then? Wow," replied Yui. "Aren't you going to miss your family?"

"Yes," his glance fell, "but that's part of being a warrior. So, Lady Priestess, what do you think of Kutou so far?"

"'Yui' is fine. I haven't actually seen anything outside the palace, actually. Ironically, it sounds like I'll get to see more of some other countries before really knowing much about Kutou!"

"It's my first time here, so I don't have much first hand knowledge of it myself," he smiled weakly. Together they laughed, and Yui felt a bit more relieved, and wondered a little bit more enthusiastically about when she'd get to meet the rest of her warriors.

* * *

Miaka, Chichiri and Rokou were discussing the plan to retrieve the Shinzaho around a table with a map outstretched on top of it. "This is difficult if we don't even know where to start looking no da," the warrior observed.

The emperor pointed the map. "As I understand, you need to travel to Hokkan. I would prefer to have you not go through Kutou anymore," he addressed his concerns and traced the route with his finger, "but that would mean a longer route through Sairou. We would have to supply you with enough money to change supplies as you move through the desert."

"Or we could take a boat over the sea and go straight there," offered Chichiri.

Miaka felt inwardly sad, but didn't show any indications. _Chiriko thought of that idea last time, didn't he? Why did he have to go and be a Seiryuu warrior now anyway? Why did he have to outsmart me so easily?! ...Nevermind. _Her thoughts returned to the map, where Chichiri was motioning to water. "Actually, we'd be more vulnerable if we went by boat," she answered.

"Really? I thought it'd be safer no da."

"Nope. Soi will just send us a storm again and we'll get washed up on the shore, only if we're lucky!" Chichiri raised an eyebrow at the word 'again', but said nothing of it as she continued. "There's two Shinzaho's, you know. We'll need to get the one in Sairou as it is, so we might as well go there first. If we head that way right away, Nakago might have more trouble following us."

"A very good idea," Rokou nodded to her. "Since you'll be gone for an undetermined length of time, I'll send some of the top soldiers in the army with you for protection."

"Aw, you don't have to do that, Emperor Rokou!" smiled the priestess, flattered by his concern. "I have the best warriors in the whole country already to protect me!" He looked back at her with an annoyed face that either said 'that's not what I meant' or 'that's _exactly _what I meant', but Miaka didn't notice. "Besides, you're still in charge of keeping Konan safe, whether or not I summon Suzaku. You have to keep those soldiers here to prepare the armies if worst comes to worst."

He closed his eyes and grimaced, as if rejecting the words when he heard them, but he still tried to speak with the utmost grace. "I will perform my duty here," he answered, "but I beg of you, on behalf of the country, see to it that Suzaku is summoned to assist us in war." Miaka nodded, and then Rokou stepped in closer, with more intimidation. "And see to it that the prince returns to the palace unharmed."

Nervously, Miaka and Chichiri nodded without necessarily agreeing to anything, and politely made their exit. "You can tell where his motivation is!" she whispered to the monk, who shushed her. She chuckled a bit and ran ahead a few steps, before stopping. "Hey, Chichiri…?"

"Yes?"

"Are you mad at me for failing?"

He stopped short, surprised. "…Da?"

"I guess that's just something I do," she had a fake smile, but inwardly felt an inkling of wanting to give up a fruitless effort. Even the one time she did summon Suzaku, that was only because Yui wished for it. "If things don't work out this time… if terrible things happen to us while we're on our journey… will you be mad?"

"None of this is your fault," he patted her shoulder comfortingly. "No matter what happens, I don't think any of us could be mad at you for it. If we're going to get upset about anything, why don't we just focus that energy on making things right na no da."

"Yeah," she nodded energetically, although answered weakly. "There's no sense in dwelling on past mistakes. They only come back to haunt us that way."

Chichiri wasn't smiling from behind the mask. _You've certainly got that right._


	22. Chapter TwentyOne

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

_At last, _Yui smiled sarcastically, _I've been here this long and I'm finally _allowed_ to meet my other warriors. _Doukun walked beside her as they entered the room, looking up to her with round eyes and wondering what the mixed expression meant. In front of her was Nakago, and Soi obediently beside him. "Your warriors, Lady Yui," he motioned to his right. There, she saw two young men and a floating child. 

The first was quite the character, with an elaborately painted face and decorations. _He must be an opera performer, _she deducted, _but does he really have to stay dressed up?_

The second was noticeably younger, maybe even about her own age. He was bowing with his face turned downward, but she could see the youthful fire in his smile.

The third appeared to be a meditating temple master, levitating ominously. His expression was just as ominous.

"Where is the seventh one?" she asked authoritatively. "I'm supposed to have seven warriors." At this, the one in the elaborate make-up cackled a bit to himself, and the youth next to him snapped at him to shut his trap. Suspiciously, Yui spun on her heels to face Nakago. "What happened to my seventh warrior? I can't summon Seiryuu with only six!"

"You would never meet him, as he always stayed depressed and cloistered himself in his own imaginary world," the general replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Even if he was still alive."

Yui's eyes widened. "What? But… who did this?"

"The Suzaku warriors, while they were last here," frowned Soi, as she looked down the line of Seiryuu warriors to where he should have been standing at the end. He had been, as Nakago said, the most elusive of them all, and only she and Nakago had spent any time with him once they met him some time very long ago. "He was trying to keep them here in his illusion, but they overcame him." Yui still looked shocked.

"Seven warriors aren't necessary if you aren't going to summon Seiryuu in the unconventional way," continued Nakago, very unconcerned about their loss. "These are the warriors that you can look to for your safety as we travel. I have received word from one of my other spies that the Priestess of Suzaku is headed to Sairou before Hokkan, so we'll head out shortly."

"Why go somewhere else?" the priestess pressed him. "Doesn't she need the Shinzaho in Hokkan?"

"There are two. Both are necessary," he answered.

"If this is a race and we're just going to take them from Miaka after she gets them anyway, then what if she decides to fight us for one Shinzaho after we take it from her instead of getting the second one for us?" she challenged. "That would take forever. We have our own lives to get back to, Nakago, I don't want us to be in this world any longer than we have to."

He sharpened his glance, and gave her a deathly tone, "What are you implying?"

"Let Miaka go to Sairou. I'm going to go to Hokkan to get that Shinzaho before she does," she stepped forward and spoke with conviction. "If I'm not going to run into the Suzaku warriors anyway, I don't need all six warriors to protect me at once. Sent a couple of them just to follow Miaka and wait to get the Shinzaho from her." Nakago was giving her a stern look at he spoke, not wanting to have his decision trampled on. She took note of it, and was a little frightened, but reminded herself that he was only a character in a book. Not flesh and blood, only ink on paper.

The other warriors seemed more supportive. The youth stood up with fists closed in excitement. "That's a great idea, Lady Priestess!"

"Thank you," she smiled sweetly to him, and added, "You and the man next to you may go follow Miaka." The youth was utterly disappointed and it showed on his face. Yui's face was much brighter, as she was relieved to finally give herself some of the power she thought a priestess should deserve.

Nakago hmphed and turned so only his profile was showing to Yui, and he pretended not to be annoyed. "Very well. Soi, you will go with them to ensure the capture of the Shinzaho." She hurt for a moment before nodding.

"Yes," Yui added to her gently, "I'll trust you to make sure Miaka's not harmed when you get it."

Soi was indeed disappointed to be ordered to part from Nakago, but Yui's sincerity warmed her. "Certainly," she replied to her, bringing a relieved expression to the priestess' face, followed by an energetic smile.

"If that's settled, then let's make preparations quickly." With that, she left the room, leaving no chance for anyone to argue. Doukun thought he should follow, but stayed put as none of the other warriors moved an inch. All except the youth, who disappointedly reached out and took a few hasty steps after her.

"Didn't you at least want to know our _names!?_"

* * *

"Big brother?" a voice came from outside Tamahome's bedroom. He sat up abruptly, and looked to the door, inviting the owner of the voice in. With quiet steps, Chuuei entered and closed the door behind him. "I didn't think you'd be asleep yet. You usually don't sleep well when you have big plans the next day."

"Yeah, I guess you know me pretty well. What are _you _doing up right now?"

"I don't sleep well when I'm worried."

Tamahome frowned and looked carefully back at his brother's face. They were both barely illuminated by the palace lights that shone outside his window, but it was even to cast shadows under the boy's eyes. "Then you don't sleep much at all."

"At least we don't have to worry about money now," he smiled genuinely, even though he couldn't hide his worry. "You should have just joined the Konan army a long time ago!"

"Yeah, right, lecture me now why don't you," he joked and nudged him. "You don't have to worry about working in fields or putting food on the table for a while, either. I'm sure you'll be sleeping all the time now."

"So what do you think of the other warriors? You'll be stuck with them for a while."

"Beats me," he lied, "what do you think?"

Chuuei looked around quietly to notice if anyone was listening, and then leaned in closer to cup Tamahome's ear. "The prince is a pansy. But no where near as much as the Emperor!"

He snickered with a wide smile before whispering back, "yeah, and his lover doesn't look like he has any kind of sense of humor."

"Yeah, he's really stiff, but he's really nice."

"Nice?" he eyed him bemusingly, but brushed it off. "And what about the fang guy or the mask guy? What were their names again?"

"You're the one who needs to know that, not me! Tasuki and Chichiri. You know Kaika, though?"

"Yeah. What about him?"

Chuuei again leaned closer to Tamahome's ear. "While he wasn't looking, Gyokuran tried out his flute today. He slobbered all over it and it sounded like a kettle. Kaika thought it tasted strange later- I had to run away so I wouldn't start laughing in front of him!" Tamahome laughed a little under his breath, but even in their quietness Chuuei could tell his amusement.

"Wait, I thought Kaika was the one with the cat."

"You better start catching up on this," the boy sighed in exasperation. "So… what do you think of Miaka?" The warrior grimaced and looked away and mumbled something unintelligibly. Chuuei frowned. "You just don't want to talk about her because you're embarrassed. You like her."

"She's my priestess," he said defensively. "And what's there to like about her? I don't even know her."

"I don't think I'd be as worried about you if you married someone like her- not saying it has to be her."

They fell silent, until Tamahome spoke again. "Are you feeling any better now?"

Chuuei nodded. "I really like the Suzaku warriors. They're treating us nicer than as just another warrior's family, and that's because they're all just good people. I wish I could do something to help, but I'm just a freeloader. Everyone's taken care of here. Do you think…?" Tamahome frowned, and shook his head slightly. Chuuei frowned understandingly.

* * *

Daylight marked the start of their journey, and Miaka and her warriors headed off on horseback after an official farewell. _I wish I would have remembered my camera again, _mused Miaka. _It was nice to have a picture of everyone to hang onto like before, especially after… no. I'm not going to let that happen again!_

She was looking over to Nuriko, who once again was wearing more masculine, but still pink, clothes. He seems entirely focused on riding the horse as they were going at a faster pace than normal to try to cover some extra ground. He was focused, that was, except that Kaika as holding onto him tightly from behind. Some less than friendly comments were uttered between the two as they were forced to be so close, being the two warriors small-framed enough to ride together against their protests. Miaka was riding in front of Hotohori as usual, who seemed perfectly comfortable with her being so close. She looked up at him and watched him as they both jostled around with each gallop. Even the view of his chin was perfect. With only a movement of his eyes, he noticed her staring. "Is everything alright, Miaka?"

"I'm fine," she said quickly. "How long do you think it'll be before we reach the capital?"

"Two days, if we only rest a minimal amount."

"That was a quick answer. You must be a very experienced traveler to know that so fast."

"I'm sure Chichiri would have told you the same thing," he answered humbly, but it still showed that he beamed at any form of a compliment. Miaka smiled widely at him and then looked forward again. They didn't speak much more as they swiftly moved across western Konan. It was the first time Miaka had seen some of these views, so she was careful to take them all in.

* * *

Nakago had arranged a boat for Yui and her now smaller party. She was hoping to get some studying done, but couldn't concentrate on the books as the vessel bobbed. Doukun would have tried to entertain his priestess with some conversation about some interesting things he had studied recently, but the bobbing made his stomach uneasy and he stayed curled up in a nauseous ball somewhere. _This is why I've never been boating, _thought the priestess, _it's horribly boring. _

"Something seems to be troubling you, Lady Yui," a sinister voice said, causing Yui to startle. She spun around behind her and saw the floating warrior who had his usual all-knowing, amused smile. That smile made her feel almost as uneasy as Doukun's stomach.

"Oh, I was wondering how long we'd be at sea."

The smile widened. "A while."

_Thanks for the honestly, _she sarcastically remarked. "You're Miboshi, right?"

"Correct. Do you remember the two others you met?"

"Let's see," she thought with a finger to her chin, "the younger one was Suboshi, and the other one was Tomo."

"Correct."

"How long have you been assembled?"

The twisted smile grew even wider still. "I need no assembling."

She returned the smile with one that was annoyed. "I mean as a group, at the palace."

At last, the smile faded as he spoke normally, without the taunting tone. "For most of us, at least a few years."

"Oh. It sure took me a while to meet you all, then. How long have you been there?"

"In this body?"

She wasn't sure if he was joking. His expression, however, was sincere. "Yes."

"I don't remember," he looked to ground, as if trying to organize his thoughts. His face suddenly looked gentler, and very befuddled. As he pondered, his floating body started to slowly sink. "Hasn't this always been my body?"

"I would hope so."

He was looking at his hands carefully, and shook his head, as if to answer his own question. "Nope. I haven't always had this one." Content with that answer, he floated back up to his starting position and reassumed the usual creepy smile. Yui inwardly wondered why Miaka got all the normal warriors, for all she knew. "Are you looking forward to summoning Seiryuu? You seemed quite eager to me."

"Not particularly," she answered and put her elbows on the side of the boat, rested her chin on her hands, and looked out into the featureless distant sea. "Having my wishes granted sounds like it will be great and all, but I'm really more eager just to get it over with."

"Don't be over eager," he warned her with a condescending tone, "Not everything is permanent."

"What do you mean by that?"

He paused. Yui, intrigued and waiting for an answer turned back to him, expecting him to look back at her. Rather, he had the same befuddled expression as before, only this time it seemed increasingly shocked by something. She was about to ask what was wrong, when he let out a sudden shriek. She jumped, and he immediately returned to normal and looked back at her. "I'm sorry, did you ask something?"

"No… nothing. Nothing at all."

* * *

Days passed. While not quite as fast as Miaka was told they'd be, the group arrived in good spirits in the bustling capital of Sairou. "Finally!" she stretched contently in the warm sunshine. "Whose up for a big lunch to celebrate?"

"You're always up for that, Miaka!" Tasuki joked, just as relieved as everyone else to finally get there. They laughed, as did the other warriors, but a cry in the crowd caught the attention of everyone.

"He's returned! His Highness!"

"His Highness, at last!"

The previously noisy crowd all fell quiet, and Miaka and her warriors looked around to see every local person kneeling with their faces to the ground. All was not quite silent, as some women could be heard sobbing in gratitude with their faces pointed to the dirt, and some imperially dressed soldiers marched their way over to the group. Unsure what was going on, Miaka looked around at her warriors, all of whom were frozen in place just as observant as she.

The guards stopped in front of them and kneeled as well, before addressing the warrior who stood directly in front of Miaka. "We are more grateful for your return," one said, looking to the ground, "but we are afraid we must inform you of the most distressing news, Prince Saihitei."


	23. Extra: Nakago and Soi

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase. This is just a short chapter about Nakago and Soi's back story; your update in Sairou will resume as scheduled next week!

* * *

She couldn't lie and say she wasn't disappointed, but she kept a stiff upper lip anyway. Nakago had ordered her to follow the Suzaku warriors and steal the Shinzaho from them, and she would fulfill her duty while he protected the priestess. He had left very early that morning, before she had even woken up. 

_He could have least said goodbye. _

To make things worse, it happened to be the third anniversary of their marriage. Not that it mattered much. They hadn't done anything to celebrate the first two, and they didn't have much of a wedding to remember. It wasn't particularly romantic; it simply felt like the thing to do at the time. Nothing had changed much about their relationship before or after, only their marital status on paper.

There really wasn't anything important about a particular date to celebrate.

* * *

Nakago, on the boat to Hokkan, acknowledged the date in his mind, but didn't give it much weight. He and Soi went back far enough to not need to care about anything like that.

* * *

"I just wanted water!" the 12-year-old Seiryuu warrior cried between beatings under a man's shoe. His mother had sent him to the nearby village to draw water from their well, but the tribe traveling through that village refused to drink from the same water a Hin drank. His bucket had been ripped from his hands and thrown several feet out of his reach, and the men had started kicking him. His arms and legs hurt where he was being bruised, and he saw no opportunity to flee without them catching him again. 

_We're so thirsty. Even our own well hates us and has dried up. Please… I just want some water. _

"Stop it!" a high pitched voice rang out.

The beating stopped. His fair locks fell in his eyes as he looked, and saw the back of a girl about half his age with her arms stretched out in front of him. "There's enough water for him to have a drink!"

"There's barely enough water for our own tribe, Kaen. Get out of the way!" one of the men ordered. The small girl didn't listen, and instead turned around to the boy on the ground, cupping a ladle to his mouth.

"There's a little left," she said. He felt the wet, salty texture of the ladle against his lips, and was eager to take a drink, but it quickly brushed past his face and hit the ground, letting what little water was in it spill into the sand. The girl holding it had been hit aside by one of the men who was beating him before. As they proceeded to lecture her, the boy used that as his chance to scramble away and escape.

It wasn't long after that day that the Kutou soldiers brought havoc to his entire tribe… to his mother. That was when everything changed.

* * *

Over time since then, Haku Kaen's family had been treated worse and worse by the rest of her tribe as their effort to survive in a war torn country became more perilous. "It's your fault for acting out," they would tell her. "Don't you know that sometimes you have to sacrifice others in order to survive?" 

_Maybe that's why they were so willing to sell me, _she thought, six years after that day she had tried to help a boy whose face she couldn't remember. _They're sacrificing me so _they _can survive. _

She didn't want to want to provide these 'services' to lewd men. They were rough with her, and abused her when she didn't do what they wanted. One day, she refused to even get near one of them, and her master wouldn't stand for it. Beating her against a tree, he berated her, until a youth's fists beat him into submission. By that time, she had forgotten meeting anyone with features such as his own, but she would never forget them after that day he saved her.

He left, and she continued working under those conditions for another year or so, before she ever saw him again. By that time, she was developing quite a skill for her craft, and Nakago chanced upon seeing the mark of Seiryuu on her thigh. He took her to the palace shortly after that, and their relationship ensued from there.

* * *

Those were but distant memories. Soi now had to focus on her duty as a celestial warrior, and wasn't doing her husband any favors by reminiscing. Walking into her bedroom to grab a few last minute items, though, she was surprised to find something she hadn't left there. 

A single, long stemmed white flower was carefully placed on her pillow. By Nakago, she wondered as she picked it up and observed it. A very sincere smile crept to her painted lips.

A happy anniversary indeed.


	24. Chapter TwentyTwo

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

"You didn't tell me you were a prince, too?" Nuriko yelled angrily at his love from his right side. 

"Why did you travel around and make them worry like that?" Miaka yelled disbelievingly from his left.

Hotohori had his eyes closed, didn't answer, and merely marched forward, following the procession of guards. The rest of the Suzaku warriors followed close behind him, whispering to each other about the surprise, and soon they were all entering the imperial palace of Sairou.

"I didn't want my status in one country to hinder my celestial duty in another," he finally answered to Miaka, and Nuriko trudged quickly around to his left side so he could face him as well. "We had discussed this before, and I had permission to leave to fulfill my destiny as your warrior," he explained as they walked briskly into a grand throne room, "I don't know why they are making such a fuss."

"Well, you _are _the prince, you think they're not going to give you any kind of welcome?" Tamahome added with a sharp voice, and was answered only by a quick, serious glance from Hotohori before he turned his attention back to Miaka, telling her that he would find out what they needed and then show her to the Shrine of Byakko.

"Right, I never _did _see where that was," she thought aloud, but no one paid her any mind as they were all still in a frenzy over how strange it was to have the foreign prince with them all along. Their comments halted, though, as a woman's voice rang loudly through the hall.

"Saihitei!"

Hotohori's eyes widened at the sound of it, and he whipped around to see the well-dressed women quickly approaching him. "Houki!"

Nuriko gaped as he saw her, and then gasped horrifically as he watched the elegant woman embrace Hotohori familiarly. "Miaka, Miaka!" he hissed and hid behind her, clinging to her shoulders. "That… that woman! How could that be!?"

"Gahh! Don't hold her so tightly," squeaked Tasuki, "you're choking _me_!"

"Houki," escaped from Miaka's mouth, as she too watched Hotohori comfort the woman against his chest.

"What has happened?" he held her cheek gently. "Where is my brother?"

"Tendou," she spoke strongly, although with a pained expression, "Your brother His Majesty has died." Hotohori's face immediately shifted, and Houki continued, looking back with the utmost seriousness. "It was a sudden illness."

"That's horrible," he looked to the ground, and then lifted a hand to his forehead. "How could this have happened? He was so healthy when I left. Have services already been performed for him?"

"Hotohori," Mitsukake put a hand to his shoulder, seeing how much he was trying to take the news in stride, "We'll be fine waiting if you need some time to yourself."

"Right," he met eyes with Mitsukake and smiled weakly. "There must be things I have to do."

He then excused himself and left with as much grace as he could muster. After watching him leave, Houki met eyes with Miaka and bowed slightly to greet her before going down the same hall Hotohori had vanished through. The other warriors looked to each other awkwardly in the unfamiliar palace. "Would you be the Priestess of Suzaku our prince set out to find?" a white-bearded official asked Miaka.

"Yeah, that's me," she nodded politely. "So he's really always been a sort of a prince anyway, hasn't he?"

"From his birth, of course," the official affirmed. "The mark of Suzaku took us all by surprise, but he was supported to leave the country to fulfill his duty. With his elder brother on the throne, we felt at ease about it. Alas," he trailed off sadly, before changing the subject, "I do not know how long your party was planning on staying in Sairou, but please allow us to make you feel welcome here. You'll have to forgive the state of mourning the court is in."

* * *

Dry land. Yui had never felt quite so thankful for it. The sky in Hokkan was a shade of white and the air felt frozen, even though there were no signs of snow. "You're shivering, Lady Yui," said Nakago. He handed her a blue cloak, and then motioned to the horses he had bought after docking the boat. "Would you like to commence searching for the Shinzaho today, or find a warm place to set up camp and start tomorrow?" 

She opened her to mouth to say she wanted to find it as soon as possible, but closed it with a small grin. _One day probably won't matter. I'll bet Miaka is no where near the other Shinzaho yet. _"As long as the camp is warm, why don't we do that?"

"As you like it," he bowed his head to her before turning to Miboshi. "Can you do anything?"

"I'll send a demon scout to start searching," he answered with the eerie grin before vanishing from sight. Yui cringed as he did, and stepped over to Doukun, who was putting on his own cloak to keep warm.

"Miboshi is very strange. He was saying something the other day about having different bodies."

"Oh? Yes, I am aware of that," he replied to her quietly. "It tends to cause problems, I hear."

"Problems?"

The boy looked over both shoulders to see if the other warrior could have been listening, and then whispered back, "Mental problems."

"Mental problems?" she looked at him questioningly. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

* * *

A few hours had gone by since they had been received into the palace, and the warriors had been shown to rooms they could use to rest. Nuriko had no such plans as he clung onto Miaka's arm. "I really can't believe that man. All this time, and he never told me that he already had everything that I could have given him." 

"It's looks like you had more in common than you thought," replied Miaka._I wonder if I should have expected something like this. Hotohori was still just as refined as he was when he was the emperor of Konan… and for good reason! It's like someone cut up the Universe of the Four Gods and just rearranged some pages. _

"Speaking of things in common, did you see that woman?" he continued with a jealous voice. "It was like she was trying to look just like me. And clinging all over Hotohori like that!"

"You have even more in common with her then," she rolled her eyes. "Say, Nuriko… I'm just wondering. Would you answer a personal question if I asked you?"

He stopped complaining and looked at her very suspiciously. "Perhaps. If I wanted to."

"Then I'll ask," she leaned closer to his face to keep eye contact with him. "You didn't just grow up wanting someone like Hotohori to call you 'Kourin'. There was another child in the royal family, wasn't there?"

With a loud gulp, Nuriko leaned away as she leaned forward. He first had an utterly flustered face, but then his expression fell. "Yes. Kourin was our younger sister."

"I see."

The two were quiet for a moment. _Nuriko's life hasn't completely changed either, _thought Miaka. "It's strange, though, isn't it? That lady earlier looked like she could fit into the royal Konan family, too."

"That's right, isn't it?" he returned to his usual sassy tone. "And no, don't start thinking that my sister ran away to Sairou when we were little. If I knew someone like Hotohori was here, that would have been me instead!"

"But you weren't always gay, right?" Miaka sent him a cynical glance. "Besides, that woman seems to know Hotohori pretty well. You don't suppose…"

"Actually," he mused, "When I met Hotohori, he seemed to take me for someone else at first. If he hadn't have been so concerned to see me there, I might not have met him that day. It was probably that woman he confused me with."

"Nuriko," Miaka held his hands in her own, "You don't suppose they're married!?"

"What? No!"

"Soi and Nakago. Mitsukake and Shouka. They had to have already--"

"He might not have said anything about being a prince, but he would have at least said if he was married!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that," she frowned.

* * *

Night fell. Kaika and Mitsukake were sharing a room, and the doctor was idly petting Tamaneko. "I'll bet I'd be able to feel the baby kicking by now," he said. 

"I felt it once."

"When was that?"

"The week before we left. Shouka and I were making dinner while she said the baby was active. You were working."

"That's unfair," he shot him a fake angry glance. They chuckled a bit, and Mitsukake went back to petting the cat silently.

"I hope Shouka isn't too tired lately," said Kaika.

"Hmm."

It was evident they both missed home, only Mitsukake had already spent his need to talk about it. _Typical, _Kaika thought, _I'm homesick, too, and wouldn't mind talking a little more. _Too restless to go to sleep, he excused himself to go take a walk. The palace was drab with mourning, so he headed out into the empty streets of the city to play his flute to himself. If he couldn't talk about his problems, he could at least let music take some of his stress away. It was just his own favorite tune filling the empty streets.

Until an accompanying tune joined it.

He was alerted to it right away. _No one knows this tune. No one would know! Unless--_

As if picking up on his thoughts, another young man with a flute stepped out from around a corner, and stood in front of Kaika as if to mirror him. The Suzaku warrior stopped breathing into the flute and stared, his feet were unsure whether to run towards the figure or away, so they didn't budge. The other flute player removed the instrument from his lips, and smiled to him. "It's been a long time… Koutuku."

"…Shunkaku!"

* * *

Inside, Nuriko found Hotohori in his room, sitting on the windowsill and staring out over the city listlessly. "May I come in?" he asked seriously. 

The man looked back over to him with the usual confident grace, but even that couldn't hide the puffiness of his eyes. "It's not like you to ask for permission."

The crossdressing prince made himself quite at home in the local prince's quarters. "We've barely seen you today. Are you alright?"

"Of course," he stepped down from the window to join him at the table, "the ministers have simply been keeping me busy. They had been waiting for me to return, and they weren't pleased to hear that I wouldn't be staying quite yet."

"Staying?"

"Of course," he replied and proceeded to pour some tea for his fellow warrior. "Now that my brother has passed away, I will need to become the emperor in his place. It's something I'm sure you understand."

"Entirely," he said and daintily lifted the cup to his mouth, "so I guess that means we'll be stuck apart."

"Please, Nuriko. Don't think I ever took you seriously. I knew I had to come back at some point. I only wish it weren't under these circumstances."

"I know that," Nuriko growled. "What did you decide on?"

"As soon as Suzaku is summoned, I will need to return. Or," he continued in a deathly serious tone, "if Miaka is unable to summon Him again."

"That's not going to be the case at all if I have anything to do with it! Suzaku had better come or I won't just return to my palace, I'll drag Him there with me by His tail feathers." Hotohori smiled at the mental image, though he knew he shouldn't have. After a sip of tea, Nuriko continued, "And then you'll take over as the emperor right away."

"Precisely."

"Will you let Houki continue to stay here?"

"Nuriko," he rolled his eyes, "I don't want to get into some petty romance argument. She's been a consort here since she was very young, so it's as if we grew up together."

"I just did some asking around, and was told that she was to marry the emperor soon. Of course you must have known her pretty well if she was going to be your sister-in-law."

"Yes," he glanced sadly to the side, "if our relationship hadn't have been so close, they probably would not have allowed her to stay. She didn't, after all, bear any children for my brother yet."

"Then you really are the only one who can lead this country," said Nuriko as he looked out the window. His earlier suspicion about being mistaken for Houki before was confirmed in his mind. _There's no helping it, _he concluded with a shrug and another sip of tea. "Are you really alright? He was your brother, after all."

"I'll want a little more time to stay here and mourn, if it's alright with Miaka. There are a few more people I need to see. Some of them will be of interest to Miaka to meet as well."


	25. Chapter TwentyThree

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase. This is a somewhat shorter chapter, but don't worry- next week's will be a doozy to make up for it.

* * *

Miaka stretched, then sighed and got dressed. _If I knew Hotohori would have to get such bad news, I wouldn't have suggested we come to Sairou so soon. It makes me sad to hear about his brother, but at least I get to eat Sairou cuisine again._

She opened the door just as Tamahome was walking by. He stopped, greeted her, and they walked together. "Do you think Hotohori will be at breakfast?" she asked him.

"He might still want some time to himself, I don't know," he shrugged with a frown. Her shoulders slumped sadly in response. "You seem pretty fond of him."

"I'm fond of all my warriors," she retorted, not wanting him to think she was taken, or anything to that effect.

"Well, at least he seems pretty fond of you."

"Did you ask any of the others?" she asked with round eyes at him. "About if they felt like they had no choice but to be fond of me?"

He stopped walking and gave her a strange look. She certainly was a forward girl. "No. But you're our priestess. How can they not, really?"

"Just because I'm the priestess," she frowned and looked from her to her feet. "You know, Tamahome, it's alright for us all to get each other as more than just warriors and a priestess. You're always so aloof."

"I don't want to just force myself into liking any one," he remarked casually. Truthfully, the conversation was making him feel uncomfortable, and as if he was being pressured into seeing more in her.

At the breakfast hall, Hotohori was seated with the others, and smiling and talking casually among them. When Miaka entered, he faced with her with a warm and charming smile to greet her. "Hotohori," she smiled with relief. _He seems to be doing better than he was yesterday. _

"Have some dumplings, please. They're--"

"Delicious, I know," she said through a mouthful as she took a seat.

"So rude, aren't you, Miaka?" Nuriko said flatly while leaning on his hand supported by an elbow on the table.

"You're one to talk, Nuriko," she noted his posture and disposition.

"Don't worry about him," Hotohori smiled to her.

"Why? Isn't something the matter, Nuriko?"

With an exaggerated sniffle, her looked to her with tearful eyes. "We broke up."

Everyone else at the table gave each other irritated, and yet relieved glances. "Well, Nuriko. We're sorry to hear that," Mitsukake said, with a look to Hotohori, who shrugged to him.

"You didn't have anyone to break up with," grumbled Kaika.

"Ya got that right," Tasuki added, though not as much directed to Nuriko as to Kaika. "You're actin' pissed about something, too. Not enough sleep?" he looked at his face carefully. "How late were ya out last night, anyway?"

"N-not too late," he answered shyly.

"Uh huh. Sure," Tasuki rolled his eyes, then leaned back in his chair to whisper to Tamahome loud enough for others to hear as well, "Don't tell Mitsukake, but it sounds like his little Kaika is growin' up and gettin' himself a--YOWCH!"

Miaka smiled and removed the hand from her cheek. "Oops. Looks like I accidentally pinched myself."

* * *

The day before, Suboshi had been in a fairly grumpy mood himself. After all, he was stuck with 'Nakago's dogs', as he called them (and was hit with a few too many zaps of lightning for it), and the priestess he had been so eager to meet for so long had no interest at all in meeting him. To make matter even worse, she sent him away before he could even introduce himself. Not only did she send him away, she sent him so far away that they would be in different countries! 

"Nnn," he sighed deeply, utterly sorry for himself.

"Put a sock in it," said Tomo.

"_You_ put a sock in it."

"I'll put a whole boot in it if you don't shut up."

"I wasn't even saying anything, freak."

"Kekekekeke."

Soi wasn't any better. She was too busy pining after her husband to take any mind to his own longings. "Geez, you're married. What's there to be so sad about?" he said. "Isn't it nice to give him a break from you once in a while?" That wasn't even deserving of a shock from a lightning bolt, so instead Soi threw the boot Tomo promised smack in the middle of his face.

_I'm lonely, and now I'm lonely and abused, _he inwardly grumbled and rubbed his nose. _I'm doing this for your sake, Lady Yui._ Oh, Lady Yui. She seemed like a far more confident, smart priestess than he ever imagined her being. He would have loved to have found out more about her, but she left too soon! _I swear, Lady Yui, I'll get the Shinzaho as soon as I can so I can bring it back to you and be done with this stupid mission! Why did I have to get stuck doing this? It's my job as a warrior to protect her, not to get sent on errands! _

_Stupid Amiboshi. Just because he already did one important thing against the Suzaku, he gets to be her right hand warrior now. Damn it. And he thinks he's so special for letting her use his real name. Brat. _Not that Suboshi had talked to Doukun at all, or for that matter, cared to. Ironically, for thinking he was so lonely, he didn't feel like finding any other solutions besides his priestess.

Instead, he focused his efforts into tracking down the Suzaku warriors and when he met them, to break out the meteor balls and-- 'met them'.

Meet the Suzaku warriors.

His eyes grew wide as he tossed the phrase around his brain. He had lost a very important person to the Suzaku warriors, after all. His face was flushed as he comprehended that he might see him again. That he might be so close by! He tried to quiet his thoughts and focus, trying to pick up any trace of the life force he had been parted from so long ago. A few minutes of concentration later, and he felt it: his twin brother.

That night he anticipated how he would confront him. As much as he wanted to march in and take him away, he wouldn't be very likely to get away with it if the others were there. He laid low in the streets of the city, watching the palace he knew his brother was inside. He thumbed his own flute, which he kept mostly as a trinket instead of as something to use. When they were children, they used to play together frequently, but Suboshi mostly liked to listen to the wonderful music the other made. After they parted, he didn't like to bring his own to his lips at all.

At first, he thought the sound of the music was just something his imagination was playing. A moment later, he felt the life force in the notes, and knew that someone was there. He quickly looked back around the corner to see his twin approaching, completely alone. It was too perfect. With a wide grin as he got the idea, Suboshi played his trinket in harmony, knowing it would get his attention. The other melody stopped, and Suboshi knew the timing was right to appear.

"It's been a long time… Koutuku."

"Shunkaku!" Kaika looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Brother!" the Seiryuu warrior could no longer contain his joy and ran to embrace him. The Suzaku warrior felt the need to run, but seeing he couldn't, he went partially limp. Not a minute later, he found himself hugging back just as tightly. They stayed that way for a few long moments.

"What are you doing here?" Kaika held him a few inches away so he could look into his face.

"I'm here to do my job as a Seiryuu warrior," he rolled up his left sleeve to show the blue character on his skin. His eyes shot down to the red character on his twin's foot. "I assume you're here for the same thing, 'Chiriko'."

"I don't use that name," he shyly looked away. "It's 'Kaika' now."

"Where did you get a name like that? You don't use your celestial name," Suboshi grimaced angrily at him, "even though that's the reason you left?"

"I just didn't answer to it well."

"That would only be because you weren't attached to it."

Kaika looked away with his eyes, and didn't argue. Suboshi's angry expression grew a bit happier. "You _are _a Suzaku warrior, aren't you?"

"Yes!" he snapped back. "That makes us enemies. That's why I ran away from you to Konan! It was to protect you."

"You couldn't have done that thinking we'd never run into each other again," he sneered. "By choosing to follow your celestial destiny, you _chose_ to make us enemies." He squeezed a little tighter on Kaika's arms. "If you didn't want us to have to fight, then you should have just stayed with me!"

"But you did the same thing. You chose to be a Seiryuu warrior!"

"Seiryuu is the savior of my country. Of our country. Konan never had anything to do with us, so I don't see why you ever felt responsible!"

"Who would want to be a hero for that war-wracked place anyway?"

Suboshi said nothing, but furrowed his eyebrows back as they glared at each other temporarily. He then smirked. "What are we doing fighting like this? Isn't that what we both wanted to avoid?" laughed he. "I thought you decided to take your celestial life over me when you left. But you didn't really choose, did you?"

"Brother, don't--"

"It's not too late! Think about this a bit," Suboshi urged him and moved his hands up to Kaika's shoulders, but Kaika forcefully turned his head away from him. "You haven't really given up on me!"

"Don't make me choose between you," he turned back with a troubled face, struggling to hold resolve. "I am a Suzaku warrior."

"And_ we're _brothers!" Suboshi still smiled, happy just to be with him, and leaned so his forehead would touch Kaika's. "More than that, we're twins! With a bond that strong, we're meant to be together. But are your bonds to the other celestial warriors stronger?"

Kaika struggled to look back at him, but gave it up and closed his eyes silently. The quiet was interrupted as Kaika felt Suboshi's grip on his shoulders suddenly get much tighter, as if he was startled. In his own stomach, he could tell something was making him nervous. "What's the matter?"

"Tomo's coming," he quickly looked his shoulder to see where he might be coming from. "Hurry and get back inside. I'll talk to you again soon." Kaika quickly nodded and quietly ran back to the palace. Their conversation ended there and neither looked back, knowing that neither would breathe a word about each other.

* * *

Naturally, the conversation still bugged Kaika the next day. "Tasuki's right, you really don't look like you slept much last night," Miaka observed later. Her face was curious and concerned. 

_Of course I can't give up being a Suzaku warrior, _he thought before answering her, "I'm fine, thank you."

"Miaka," Hotohori said to her. "I have some very important people to introduce you to."

"More important than the crown prince around here?" she smiled. "They must be pretty special."

He nodded, and then lead her to a room where two youthful, well dressed people were waiting. "These are two people I knew very well growing up," said Hotohori. "Tokaki and Subaru, of the Byakko seven warriors."


	26. Chapter TwentyFour

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

"Tokaki! Subaru!" she smiled and ran forward to them, taking Subaru's hands in her own. 

Subaru looked surprised at her, but then warmly smiled back. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Miaka. His Highness- or Hotohori, as we did always call him- just finished telling us about you."

_Oh, right! I forgot this is supposed to be the first time I'm meeting them. _"My, you're certainly young for being Byakko warriors."

Subaru smiled again. "We usually stayed in the Shrine of Byakko, where my spell keeps our bodies preserved. We're here right now to mourn with the rest of the court," she frowned down to Tokaki, who was leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed and a very incensed look on his face.

"I still can't believe this has happened," he said and shook his head. "There was no reason for His Highness to have to die. And before Hotohori had helped his priestess summoned Suzaku, too. It's too cruel."

"I've already been over this with the ministers," the Suzaku warrior replied. "I'll return once Miaka has summoned Suzaku."

"And what about Houki? You'll make her worry more."

"Please don't lecture him while his priestess is here," Subaru scolded him.

"I'll bet you spent a lot of time learning things from them, didn't you, Hotohori?" asked Miaka. _I guess that wouldn't make Tokaki Tamahome's master this time. _

"That's correct," he replied. "They're the ones that would tell me stories about how they helped the Priestess of Byakko, and encouraged me to leave Sairou in search of you."

Subaru giggled. "Even as a very small child, he would frequently visit us in the shrine to ask us questions. Tokaki and I, because we were guarded the shrine all this time, never had any children of our own, so we quite enjoyed watching him grow up."

"Please, Subaru, you'll embarrass me."

"That's sweet," said Miaka. "Is Tatara still in the shrine, then, protecting the Shinzaho?"

"Tatara?" everyone else in the room look wide-eyed at her. "He hasn't been here for almost ninety years, Miaka."

"What!?"

"When Suzuno, the Priestess of Byakko, summoned the beast god, she asked if she could stay here with Tatara. They were in love, after all," Tokaki explained. "But Byakko would not grant that wish; Suzuno had to return home. Therefore, she used her last wish to bring Tatara to her own world."

Miaka's eyes widened. _How… how wonderful for her! _

"I imagine they were very happy," added Subaru. "Very recently, though, we felt their presence fade. Not from this world, but from any living world."

"They… they died?"

"Happily, I suppose."

"But how can you know that?"

"It's just because we have celestial bonds to our priestess, and to our fellow warriors, which stretch across the worlds," explained Tokaki. "You're probably familiar with it, even if you aren't aware of it."

"It seems so many people who were important to us are passing away all at once," frowned Subaru. "I suppose that after we finish protecting the shinzaho, it will our time as well."

"Don't say that!" Hotohori raised his voice. "You can still continue to live healthily for many more years."

"Hotohori," they looked to him. _He can't see quite how old we really are. _

"Right! The shinzaho," said Miaka, "I need to get that from you."

"We would be happy to give it to you," replied Subaru, "but I'm afraid we can't make it that easy. If it was, then anyone could be a priestess. You, Miaka," she used both a kind and warning tone, "have to prove that you're fit to use it before we can give it up."

She nodded. "I'll meet you in the shrine later, then."

* * *

Nakago was not pleased. Having to start with no leads and perform the menial task of locating the shinzaho was not what he had in mind for how he'd help Yui summon Seiryuu. Why couldn't she just be an obedient priestess and let the Suzaku warriors do all the work?

"Is something the matter, Nakago?" said priestess asked him earnestly as she set a cup of tea in front of him. "I'm not used to seeing such an incensed expression on you."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. It's troubling to see you stressed," she continued. "Is something going wrong?"

"I am only frustrated. I am a general who manages soldiers and fights. I don't concern myself with wild goose hunts," he said in as delicate a way he knew how to tell Yui he wasn't happy with her decision. "I only wish that you would have voiced a plan like this sooner."

"You didn't even tell me about the shinzaho until recently," she answered. "I don't see why you didn't think of doing it yourself in the first place. Konan never would have meant anything to Kutou in the first place, and we could have just let them summon Suzaku and not have bothered them."

"Preventing them from having Suzaku's protection is gravely important as well, Lady Yui," he corrected her while not looking up with the map he was studying. "War is eminent. Kutou has been plagued with civil war over unfertile land for many years, but Konan's land is lush. If the people of Kutou are to thrive, they have no choice but to become an empire and get new resources."

Yui started to shiver, and it wasn't because of the cold weather outside. _All this time we haven't been asked to summon the gods to protect them from war, but to aid them in it? _"Can't you just open trade with them?"

"Kutou has nothing to trade but starving labor. Do you know why Kishuku was kept as part of the army for so long?"

"Because he was a Suzaku warrior and you couldn't afford to let him go to Konan," she sputtered.

"Long before their priestess even arrived, it was because his family was destitute. Being a soldier was the only way he could make sure they were still eating everyday."

She had no idea he even had a family to think off. All these characters were just two dimensional, right? Even if she did summon Seiryuu to aid the Kutou armies in taking Konan's land, it was just a generic army in storybook, right? As if not wanting to let herself think otherwise, she changed the subject. "Have you found anything to lead us to the Genbu shinzaho?"

"There was a monument that one of Miboshi's demons spotted which might tell something of it's location. He and Doukun have gone to take a look at it."

"Just the two of them?" she asked. "Aren't you worried? One of them is just a child, after all."

"Doukun is with him, so he'll be fine."

"That wasn't what I meant… never mind."

* * *

Doukun had been keeping a fairly low profile by taking back alleys instead of busy streets so that Miboshi could travel in the shadows. He wasn't concerned for his safety, as Miboshi came with an array of demons he could cast at will. Most of the time, anyway. He seemed like his usual creepy self most of the day, but at one point Doukun slipped on a patch of ice he didn't notice, and Miboshi quickly caught him by the arm. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.

"Yes, thank you," he returned to his footing. "Although I am surprised by your sudden altruism."

"I hate it when that happens," the other Seiryuu warrior squeezed his forehead as if in pain. "It's been more frequent lately."

"The sudden altruism?"

"The personality changes," he removed his hand to look more carefully at it. "I've had to fight more with some children before, but this child's nature just doesn't seem to give it a rest."

"That does sound problematic," he sympathized. "I can't imagine how troubling it must be to have two different personalities. Does that ever make it hard to control the demons you conjure?"

"They are merely attached to the will of whatever body I am using, so they aren't uncontrollable. It does make it more difficult to make them do what _I _want, though. This problem had better not get to the point that when I come to, I find them picking flowers or asking for alms like some lowly monk."

"What is it you want them to do?"

"I don't want them to hurt anyone," he frowned.

"I'm sorry?" Doukun thought he didn't hear him correctly.

"See, it happened again!" growled back Miboshi. "It just gets worse with every new body, I swear."

"Maybe you're loosing more and more of your original nature each time you have to contend with someone else's nature," offered Doukun.

"Hmph. They're only children; there's not much to contend with."

The other small warrior scrunched his face but held back a comment. "In any case, maybe there's some way to help you so you don't have these continual problems. After we investigate the monument, perhaps I can find a library and research that."

A very genuine smile sprang to Miboshi's face, and even his cheeks turned a little rosier. "That would be very kind of you. Thank you!"

"It's happening again."

"Oh dear," he put a troubled hand to his cheek. "I am sorry. I must try harder not to let this happen."

* * *

Miaka and her warriors proceeded to the Shrine of Byakko that afternoon. It was a grand indoor hall which seemed to have an even more inviting glow to it that the sunshine did outside. There was abundant drapery and large gold statue of the beast god. The two surviving Byakko warriors waited proudly next to it.

"Are you ready, Miaka?" Subaru smiled to her, and the priestess nodded. "Then please step forward."

Hotohori cringed slightly and looked away. Tasuki noticed and asked, "What's going to happen?"

"Subaru is going to place a spell on her."

"A spell?" he looked stunned, but then grew a more relaxed face. "Well, it's not anything she can't handle. I'll be the one getting it, after all. What am I in for this time?"

"You won't be," the prince shook his head back at him. "Age isn't an attack."

"Age?"

Subaru whispered an incantation over Miaka, and even before it seemed that she had finished, Miaka felt the need to sink forward. Something was wrong her body. Her limbs wouldn't move freely, and the world seemed to be fogged around her. Something hurt… a lot of things hurt. "What's… what's happening to me?"

"I'm so sorry to see you like this," Hotohori said, although he wasn't looking at her at all as he closed his eyes tightly and looked away. "How cruel of them to age you like that."

"You just don't want to see Miaka lookin' like your grandma, huh?" Tasuki jabbed at him jokingly, seeing how forcefully he looked away. "Talk about a weak stomach, man."

"I can only hope she doesn't look like Taiitsukun."

Though they sounded faint, Miaka could hear what they were talking about. "Subaru made me old? That must be why I feel so tired… why my knees hurt so much. I need to start drinking more milk, I guess."_I'm an old lady? That's just too sudden and overwhelming to really be mad about. _

The other warriors were just as stunned about the spell. "Miaka," Tamahome said as the shock escaped his mouth.

"Heh heh," she slowly turned around to look back at him, who still looked youthful as ever. "I bet my teeth are falling out, aren't they, Tamahome? Probably from all those cupcakes."

"You don't look a day older, Miaka," he answered. "This is some kind of trick."

Miaka looked down at her usual, young figure and wrinkle-free skin. "I _am _still young!"

"I've only aged you on the inside," explained Subaru. "But even so, you are considerably weaker than you've probably ever imagined yourself to be."

"I have the Shinzaho right here," Tokaki stepped before her, and took a cloth off a hand mirror to reveal it to Miaka. She saw her normal, yet tired looking face staring back in the reflection. "As soon as you are able to take it from my hands, it's yours."

Naturally, Miaka reached for it as fast as she could, but not fast enough to catch the item before the warrior teleported a few feet away. The Suzaku warriors grew frustrated. "She obviously can't move fast enough to catch someone who teleports, even as a healthy young girl," argued Chichiri as he grimaced behind the mask. "What is the point of this no da?"

"It's alright, haah, Chichiri," Miaka said between pants as she tried to run after him, however slowly that was. She tried to step forward quickly, but felt herself start to sink. The sinking feeling stopped suddenly, and she felt someone carefully holding her up. "Tamahome," she looked up to him. _He got to me so fast. _

"Watch out, Miaka," he cautioned her with a smile, "You don't want to fall over and throw out a hip."

_So concerned for me, _she dazedly gazed at him. Despite feeling so feeble, her heart raced for a moment being so close to him. _I wish that it could always be like this, even when I really am old and feeble. Tamahome…_

"Can't we do anything to help?" Mitsukake asked and looked to Tokaki, who shook his head.

"Even when she grew old and frail, Suzuno's will was still strong enough that we could feel her in this world. I don't ever expect to meet a priestess as strong as Suzuno was, but she'll at least have to compare."

"Don't you dare try to say that Miaka is only a second-rate priestess!" Tamahome shouted back at him. "She's persistent even to get that from you with her eyes closed! Right?" He turned back to her for reassurance, but her eyes were indeed closed and she was snoring as bit as he held her up. "Miaka, this is no time to be sleeping!"

"Cheeseburgers!" she abruptly snapped back awake as he shook her. "Oh, sorry, I dozed off there. The shinzaho," she looked back over at Tokaki, who stood roughly ten steps away from her. "As soon as I get the shinzaho, everything will be fine, and I can take a nap."

"Miaka!" her warriors shouted.

"I'm not deaf, you know!" she snapped back at Tamahome. "At least not yet! Tokaki," she turned back to him. "If we're going to play like this, then let's take it outside."

"Outside?" he looked at her oddly.

"You'll still be able to teleport out there, right, you little whippersnapper?" she teased him, causing a few of the other warriors, specifically Hotohori, to gawk at her behavior.

"Miaka! You're hardly in any position to be calling anyone names!"

"Yes," Tokaki affirmed and sharpened his glance at her.

"But you'll feel just as old as me. Don't you think that's a little more fair if this is all a test of whose willpower is stronger?"

Tokaki growled with only his facial expression and no sound, but Subaru smiled to him. "She's a perceptive one."

"I wouldn't have guessed that," he replied. "When you put it that way, fine." He then vanished, and Tamahome started helping Miaka towards the door as she complained about her hips.

"Willpower," Chichiri observed curiously. "So that's what this was about all along?"

"If that's the case, then I'm not worried," Nuriko joined him. "Remember back when we met Nakago in the shrine of Seiryuu? Miaka was pretty amazing then."

The warriors all reassembled immediately outside the shrine and watched as Tokaki faced Miaka. He stood freely on his own, but very still, whereas Miaka was still leaning on Tamahome for support. "This reminds me a little of my mom," she said to him only loud enough for the two of them to hear. "She says that she doesn't know when she got so old. That it just happened. Sure, she's not _that _old, but I kind of know what she means now. Even if it was a shock to her, though, she never seemed so old to me."

"What are you getting at, Miaka?"

"I don't know. I think I'm just babbling. That's what us old folks do, after all."

"Miaka," he groaned at her joke.

"Go ahead and leave me here, Tamahome. I'll use my own two feet." He asked if she was sure, she nodded, and he silently and slowly back away from her. Miaka wobbled, but made an effort to stand more erect to match Tokaki's posture. "Now the only thing making us different is that you can teleport, and that you're holding what I need," she said to him. As she started approaching, she continued, "So why don't you make this easy on us both and just hand it over before one of us gets hurt!" She then yelled as aggressively as she could muster and sprinted as fast as her muscles would take her.

Granted, that wasn't very fast at all, and gave Tokaki plenty of time to look over to Subaru, who stood with the other warriors. He had a very serious expression, and she understandingly sent him a sad smile and a nod. As Miaka drew closer to him, he teleported and she stumbled to a stop. Panting heavily, Miaka looked to her right, and then her left to see him a few more steps away. She charged again, although not as energetically, and he moved away again, this time to a veranda on the side of the shrine. Miaka tracked him with her tired eyes, and then noticed the flight of stairs leading up to him. _I know as soon as I get there he's just going to get away again, but I can't just wait for him. _Thus, she fumbled over and clung tightly to the banister as she inched her way up. _All this time I've taken stairs for granted… no, I've taken elevators for granted! _she thought as she pulled herself up to the second step. _If only I just had a little more energy, it wouldn't matter how much my joints hurt… _

As if to answer a silent request, Kaika began to play his flute. _Miaka,_he thought, _I'm not about to just sit back and watch you go through this. This won't be able to do much, but as long as it can help you a little. _

_Kaika,_she smiled as she listened. It had a truly uplifting effect, and she felt a little bit stronger as she made her way up the stairs a little bit faster. By the stunned look on Tokaki's face, she knew she was doing well. Aching joints would do nothing to stop her as she saw her face in the hand mirror when she got closer. Through choked breaths, she announced the obvious to him, "I'm here for the shinzaho!"

"But that other warrior must have he--" he said, but then abruptly started coughing. Miaka was surprised and stopped advancing; Subaru and Hotohori quickly reacted by saying his name and running towards him, but no sooner than they had taken a step did Tokaki's coughing fit cause him to lose hold of the hand mirror over the side of the banister he was sitting against. Miaka reached for it to save it from falling, but her reflexes were not even fast enough to get close to touching it.

Almost as quickly as he had dropped it, Tokaki disappeared and reappeared on the ground and caught it safely in his hands. As he recovered it, he sunk to his knees and leaned against the side of the shrine for support as he coughed a bit more. Hotohori was quickly at his side to hold his shoulders to keep him upright. "Tokaki! Tokaki, are you alright?"

"I'm just old, that's all," he replied gruffly. Subaru's breathing was heavy as she caught up to his side and kneeled beside him. He gave her a questioning look which Hotohori could not understand, as a couple of warriors like Tokaki and Subaru had been around each other long enough not to need words. With a pained, but dignified expression, she gave him another nod.

"What is going on?" the prince between them looked to both of them as they exchanged expressions. The other Suzaku warriors gathered around them to see what was happening, and Chichiri had gathered Miaka on the stairs and was carrying her in his arms so she could look down at them. A wave of realization flashed over her.

_When I asked him to come outside the shrine, that wasn't just making him feel older and weaker… it _was_ making him older and weaker! _"Tokaki! I'm… sorry."

"Don't be," he didn't look to her as he was resting in Hotohori's gentle arms. "Sex is no fun when you're old even if you do act young."

Most everyone was caught off guard by a seemingly unrelated comment. "Is he senile?" Tasuki whispered to Kaika, who shrugged.

"I resent that," Subaru shot him a quick glare, but then looked back up to Miaka, kindly although sadly. She could tell that Miaka was the only one who understood what was going on: the remaining Byakko warriors were indeed expiring. "I've removed the spell. You did very well, Miaka. We're going to trust you to take care of Suzuno's shinzaho."

"If you don't use it properly, we'll make you pay for it," Tokaki shot a glance back in her direction as Chichiri let her down and she eagerly knelt next to them. The old warrior sighed deeply as he slowly loosened his grip on the mirror and handed it to her. She received it carefully, and he relaxed against Hotohori again.

"Do you need anything?" the warrior asked eagerly. "You seem tired. Let's take you back inside."

"Don't bother," he replied with a sharp tone and used his now empty hands to grab for Subaru's. Their hands both shook a bit. "Hotohori, make sure you take care of your priestess as much as she'll take care of the shinzaho."

"Of course. Of course!" he replied quickly with due respect, but then hung his head. "You don't have to say these things any more."

"Take care of Houki. She's hurting, too," he said with a firmer tone.

"Of course I will. Please, you need to rest."

"She'll help with your hurting, too."

The onlookers didn't dare make any noise as they listened to their normally poised warrior make small sounds as if he was choking. They too were slowly realizing that this was a good-bye.

"Hotohori," Subaru quickly gave him a firm look. "No, Prince Saihitei. We are entrusting Sairou to you. Please make sure it stays just as peaceful for the rest of your life as it was for ours."

"I know."

"Hotohori," Tokaki said, although he did not bother opening his eyes, "Promise me you'll keep this peace in Sairou that we have worked so hard for. Don't ever let anyone forget what Suzuno did for them, how Tatara and the other warriors lived. This is your country now."

In a clear voice, although accented with quick breaths, Hotohori answered, "I will lead Sairou with your examples. It will always be a thriving country. I promise."

Tokaki seemed to smile faintly as he breathed out deeply, and then breathed no more. The prince's shoulders shook and his hands on the man started to slip off. Subaru picked his frame up by the shoulders and held his head against her shoulders while she embraced him tenderly, leaving Hotohori's arms empty. She had a very weak expression as her eyes glittered with forming tears, and her mouth resembled a small smile. Though she wasn't looking at anything or anyone in particular, she spoke directly to Hotohori. "I'll probably join them by later tonight. Ours were long lives, but this is a wonderful way for them to end. We're able to entrust Suzuno's shinzaho to a new priestess, we're able to entrust our country to a boy we loved, and we're on our way to see Tatara and all our friends again."

The spot where Tokaki had been in the nest of his arms felt hollow, and Hotohori didn't bother moving them even to wipe his tears. Though they couldn't feel his loss, the others were pained for him.

* * *

Subaru died quietly a few hours later, having exhausted her strength. Hotohori had secluded himself in his quarters to mourn yet again. The previous night he had put up enough of a front to have Nuriko's company and pretend he was fine, but two shows in a row can make even the best actor tired. There was, however, one person who felt the need to intrude on his grief.

"Houki," he was startled to see the frame in his doorway.

She met him first with a dignified manner, and but immediately let her face sink as her eyes welled with tears. "Your Highness."

* * *

As much as they wanted to give him more time to grieve, Hotohori insisted the next day that he was doing well enough to leave the country and tend to Konan's safety, smiling as dashingly as ever, as much as everyone knew he didn't want to leave at all. They appreciated his efforts, and had a silent agreement not to dwell on it and simply move forward.

"To Hokkan!" Miaka cheered from atop a horse with Tamahome.

* * *

"Hokkan sucks," Yui groaned after a loud sneeze. "I'm ready to get this shinzaho and get out of this frozen dump." 


	27. Chapter TwentyFive

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

The horses were tired after galloping away from the capital of Sairou. Tasuki's horses veered close enough to Hotohori's that they bumped. "Oh, sorry… uh… Your Highness." 

"You don't need to treat me so reverently," he smiled back. "We know each other as Suzaku warriors and friends, not as ruler and subject."

"Yeah, but it's still weird… I mean, you wr' the prince this whole dang time."

"As soon as we are out of Sairou, there will be no need to call me a prince. Will that be a little less strange?"

"Sure."

"It's funny that everyone treats Hotohori instead of me that way when _I'm _the prince of your own kingdom you're trying to save," grumbled Nuriko. No reaction. He sighed in annoyance, then looked behind him to the boy sharing his horse. "Even _you _are quiet today."

"What? Oh. It's nothing." Obviously a lie, as Kaika was thinking back to before the crack of dawn that morning.

* * *

"Brother!" his hushed voice said as he met Suboshi outside. "What were you doing, trying to poke in the windows at me? Someone could have seen you!" 

"Your roommate was already asleep, it was fine," smiled back his twin, who knew it was dangerous but wasn't sure how else to get Kaika's attention. "Nice cat."

"That's Juan's cat."

"Juan, huh?" he asked. "That doesn't sound like a Suzaku warrior name. Or do they all go by nicknames?"

"No, that's just how I know him. What are you here for?" he tried to brush that aside. "We can't afford to meet like this every night!"

"How can we not try to see each other? Don't you miss me?"

"Of course I miss you!" Kaika embraced him tightly. "But it's too dangerous!"

"No one is out here. We're fine; we both came alone."

"But we're leaving tomorrow. It'll be harder to meet if we're out in the middle of the desert with nothing to hide behind." In the city they were protected by walls and winding streets, and Kaika's biggest fear was that someone would see him conversing with his twin, their enemy! He didn't even stop to think that Suboshi might also have friends who would be watching them, but as of yet, Soi and Tomo didn't care where Suboshi was.

"There's an easier way to solve this problem," he said, somewhat flatly, "you could just stay with me."

"No!" he abruptly stepped backwards. "As long there's a chance to summon Suzaku, I have to help Miaka and my friends!"

Suboshi was silent with an angry face for a moment, and then nodded. "Fine. But I'll still make sure to see you soon."

* * *

_In the desert? _Kaika wondered. _How will he know where I am? Why was he even in Sairou in the first place?_

"Kaika," Nuriko said from over his shoulder, "You awake in there? Because if you fall asleep and fall off the horse, I'm not stopping to pick you up."

"I'm not asleep!"

* * *

"Have you learned anything so far?" Nakago asked the young scholar who was busy at a table full of notes and maps. 

"I haven't been able to translate all of what was on the monument, but it does refer to the shinzaho and a location at the top of this mountain," he pointed to it on one of the maps. "It wouldn't take long to get part way up by horseback, but we wouldn't be able to make it all the way."

"Hmm," the general acknowledged. "I'll have Miboshi send a demon to inspect the area before we arrange to visit it ourselves."

"If that's where the shinzaho is, I want to get it right away so we can get out of this frozen wasteland," Yui spoke up from across the table.

"Lady Yui," he took a comforting tone, "We do not know yet if it will be safe for you to go there. Please allow me to find the best way to proceed."

"While you're doing all this thinking, my fingers are getting frozen off," she rose from the table and used a more aggressive voice. "Besides, I'm going stir crazy. There must be something I can do out there to make sure we get it faster."

"Lady Yui-"

"This is a race with the Suzaku warriors, after all. If we keep lazing around here, they'll come to take it before we even set foot out the tent."

"Yui, Nakago only has your safety in mind," Doukun tried to appease her.

"Safety isn't the issue here. Getting the Shinzaho is," she said.

* * *

_Recalcitrant priestess, _Nakago mentally muttered as he later helped her climb up the side of the mountain. They had already left the horses behind and were having to fend for themselves over the giant snowdrifts. _If she had told Tomo to come here instead of Sairou, he could easily get through this. If she had told Soi to come here instead of Sairou, maybe she could do something about the weather._

"Ouch!" said Yui. "Nakago, you're squeezing my hand."

"I'm sorry," he let go after pulling her up on a ledge. From behind her, Doukun weezed as he caught up. Miboshi had stayed in Touran, as Nakago was in no mood to deal with his personality changes.

"This looks like the top of the mountain," observed Yui. "There doesn't seem to be much up here, aside from more snow."

"I'm sorry," frowned Doukun, "my translation may have been wrong."

Nakago was a bit more observant. "That boulder has a seal around it. There could be something important behind it."

The priestess nodded. "Please get rid of it, Nakago."

With a simple blast of his life force, the boulder was blown to smithereens, and they saw two large stone doors behind where it used to be. "It has to be in there!" smiled Yui as she ran towards it. The group had no trouble opening the doors and navigating their way through the darkness, until the priestess heard a sickening crack beneath her feet. "What was that?" she asked without wanting to look down.

"It appears to be someone's postmortem appendage,"answered Doukun.

"Oh. Lovely," she remarked sarcastically and walked a bit faster. _It's not as if anyone really died here. This is isn't real, after all! I'm only walking around in a fairy tale. Nothing bad can actually happen to me here. It's not real._ A disembodied voice broke her thoughts.

"What are you doing here?"

The small group stopped and looked around for where it was coming from. "We've come for the shinzaho," announced Yui.

"Hmph. And who are you?"

"I am the Priestess of Seiryuu."

"A priestess?" the figure of a man with an eye patch appeared before them.

Another young man appeared next to him. "Couldn't manage to summon Seiryuu on your own, could you?"

"That has nothing to do with me," argued the priestess. "The scroll I needed was already gone before I got here."

"Not to mention a few of your warriors are missing, if these are all you brought," the younger one said.

"Why should we help the Kutou empire?" asked the other. "In our time, all your country did was hassle Hokkan and try to take our country away."

"Kutou has been plagued with civil wars and droughts ever since your time," said Nakago. "We must summon Seiryuu to put a stop to it."

_That's a lie, _Yui eyed him. _You said it yourself that Kutou needs to take Konan's land in order to stop all that._

"If you've found this place, though, we can't simply tell you to leave empty-handed," one said. "My name is Hikitsu, and this is Tomite. We are Genbu warriors here to protect our priestess' shinzaho."

"If you want it so much," said Tomite as he approached Yui, "then strip."

The Seiryuu group was shocked, but before either of the warriors could speak up, Yui raised her hand and struck Tomite's cheek. Or rather, she would have struck him if her hand didn't pass through. "A ghost?" she paused in surprise, but brushed it aside. "Never! I'm not going to degrade myself into doing a strip tease in order to get it. Tell me where it is."

"I only told you to do that because I'd hate to have you be stuck in frozen clothes," replied Tomite in halfway feigned sincerity. "But if you want us to proceed anyway with you dressed up that much, then be that way. It won't make much of a difference."

Though still not sure what they were going to do, Yui didn't want to completely disregard his comment. She tossed her cloak to Doukun and then took off everything but her long white blouse and undergarments. When her bare feet touched the ground the chill went all the way up to her neck, and she started to shiver. "Do what you need to," she strongly said to the Genbu warriors.

"Already shaking," Tomite tsked. "This won't take long."

Yui would have asked what he was taking about, but immediately she felt clumps of ice forming on her skin. It was such an intense cold that it felt like she was being stabbed. She tried to hold herself to keep warm, but the ice stopped her arms from moving before she had lifted them. A small scream escaped her mouth before she was completely covered.

"Lady Yui!" Nakago said in alarm, then quickly looked to the Genbu warriors to ask them what the meaning of this was.

"If she is capable of being a priestess, she should be able to stand it," replied Hikitsu.

"But for how long?!" asked Doukun, who then quickly looked back to her expression frozen in time. "She's in so much pain."

_Using my life force against them won't be effective if they're already dead, _Nakago grimaced as he thought of what to do. _But I'm able to get her out of there if I hold back._ He lifted his hand in her direction and released a small orb of blue light, only to have it bounce back and hit him in the stomach, forcing him back a few feet and down to his knees.

"Nakago!" his fellow startled warrior put a hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"

"This is something your priestess must do on her own," Hikitsu eyed him, then looked back to Yui.

"A wall of ice," Doukun put his hand out to touch what they hadn't seen before. "That must have reflected your attack. Are you alright?"

"It wasn't very strong," he slowly stood back up, then turned his attention back to his priestess. She hadn't moved, of course, but her skin was looking more pale. _If she had just listened to me, she could have had her friend do this instead. She brought it upon herself. She had better not die in there._

Yui was very stuck, and the sensation of the lack of oxygen was only half as bothersome to her as the intense cold. Never in her life could she ever remember feeling anything remotely like it. _It hurts, _she thought, _am I stuck here like this? Did I loose this god-summoning game? I'm going to die here if not even Nakago can get me out. _Her thoughts started to get slower.

_I'm so cold… I just want to go to sleep. _

_Go to sleep and forget about this…_

_The world inside this book…_

The world started to get darker as her mind drifted, and Miaka's bright smile came to her mind. _Miaka… seeing you almost warms me up._

Miaka might be getting closer, she thought. Soon, Miaka would have her wishes granted and win the game. So much of a game if Yui would be frozen forever. _That would make you sad, wouldn't it? _she said to the image. _I wish I could see you again._

The image faded as Yui felt even more of her consciousness slip away._Miaka…_

_No!_

_I can't die here like this! I have to see Miaka again! I refuse to let myself freeze here! _

Her body emitted a blue radiance, and the ice began to crack bit by bit, and then shattered completely. Exhausted, the priestess fell to the ground and panted for air, shivering violently. The Genbu warriors were startled, but when they saw that she had triumphed over their power, they conceded and released her warriors as well. They rushed to her side and Nakago held her cold body in his arms. "Lady Yui. Lady Yui! Are you alright?"

She struggled to open her eyes, and made out their blurry faces. "I'm free?"

"You're still icy," said the younger one as he covered her with her cloak. "You did it, Yui. They'll give you the Shinzaho now!"

"I did it, Nakago," she smiled weakly to him. "Miaka's not the only priestess around here, you know."

He nodded. "You did very well."

They allowed her a few minutes to warm up and get her clothes back on before leading her to another door. Her steps were unsteady as she was still shaking profusely, but as soon as she stepped into the other room her, her body warmed up significantly. "The shrine of Genbu," she observed. Who knew that such a beautiful room would be inside the mountain?

"Priestess of Seiryuu," Hikitsu said to her and motioned down a long carpet, "There is the necklace our priestess, Takiko, left. That is one of the shinzaho you need to summon the beast god."

She stepped forward regally and picked up the ornate piece. "Thank you," she said. "Will I need to return it?"

"No, once it serves it's purpose, there will be no need for us to protect it," Tomite said with a weak smile. "I suppose we'll pass on now."

"It's been two hundred years," added Hikitsu, partially aside to his fellow warrior. "I'd like to see them again."

They said nothing else to Yui and her warriors as they left, and they said nothing in return. Still, Yui couldn't help but wonder what would become of them. Were they going to see their priestess? Could they really do that if she was from her own world?

"Yui, are you alright?" asked Doukun.

"I could have died today," she looked back down the tunnel they were passing through. "After all."


	28. Chapter TwentySix

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

They had been traveling for two days, and would soon reach the Hokkan border. The weather was still reasonably warm in the desert during the day, would dip severely after dark. That morning, the sun beat down on them, and Miaka couldn't find a single cloud in the sky. 

"We're almost out of water," observed Mitsukake.

"I think I saw a stream nearby," remembered his adoptive brother. "Do you want me to help you refill everything there?"

"I'll help, too!" smiled the priestess brightly enough to match the weather. Thus, the three of them headed off for a short errand. Miaka was wearing the shinzaho in a pouch around her shoulder, and had been checking constantly just to make sure it was still there.

"Is something making you antsy about the shinzaho?" Kaika noticed.

"Foresight," she answered. It felt good to be able to claim that and not just rush into past mistakes. "I've got a really good feeling that finding the second shinzaho is going to be easy."

"I don't know, do the rest of us know any Genbu warriors?" he shrugged with half a smile. "But if you're feeling so optimistic, it's hard not to feel good about it, too."

* * *

"That boy," a pair of painted lips said from the top of a cliff over-looking the stream. "Doesn't he seem familiar?"

"Is that meant to be a joke?" the other pair of painted lips said to the first. "He's obviously related to Suboshi. I'm surprised we've never heard anything about him. If Suboshi were missing him, we'd hear him blubbering about it all the time."

"Kekekeke. Just like how he talks about the priestess. Perhaps he's just a long lost twin."

"Lost enough to find himself as a Suzaku warrior," hmphed Soi. "No matter. What Suboshi doesn't already complain about won't hurt him." _Come to think of it, _she mentally continued, _Suboshi did seem to have a strangely good idea when and where the Suzaku bunch was going. _She didn't let it bother her as she conjured up some clouds.

* * *

Mitsukake wasn't sure if he was tired, so he rubbed his eyes. Sure enough, everything looked darker that it did a minute ago. He looked up, but no sooner did he do so than a raindrop fell in his eye. _Rain? _was the only thought he could muster before he and his friends were pelted in water.

"What?" Miaka and Kaika were just as startled by it. Not only was it rain, it was a downpour and windy. The clouds started to jitter with electricity, and the startled warrior used some foresight of his own to push Miaka out of the way of a lightning bolt. She screamed in surprise as it crashed against the ground, and the two of them hit the ground right next to the stream.

Tamaneko hissed as the water starting to noticeably rise, and he clawed up Mitsukake's arm to his shoulder as if to find higher ground. The rate at which the water was rising bothered the doctor in the pit of his stomach, and he looked over to seeing Kaika and Miaka had not even had a chance to sit back up before the water level was catching to them. Soon it would sweep them away before they even realized they were moving. It was a startlingly familiar sight.

He reached for their ankles and catch them just as they started to float away, and fighting against the strangely strong current, he pulled them close and wrapped his arms around them. Having concentrated on doing that, though, he hadn't noticed that he, too, was starting to get carried away. Up ahead, what used to be a small stream was feeding into a river. Save nothing else he could do, Mitsukake held them tighter and braced himself.

* * *

"How long does it take t' get water, anyway?" Tasuki looked over in the direction they had gone and thought he might have seen clouds, but figured it was just his mind playing tricks on him. A second look and they were gone. "Maybe you shoulda' gone with them."

"Why me?" Nuriko placed his hands on his hips.

"You could'a carried more water."

"Then why didn't we all just go take a trip down to the watering hole?" he snapped. "Shoot, I've got more sand under my nails," he started to fuss with them. Traveling in the desert had been taxing on all of them, but none were taking it in less stride than Nuriko.

"That's a pretty funny outfit you've got on," observed Tasuki as he pointed to the Konan prince's blue and navy attire.

Nuriko stared blankly, then thumbed his sleeve. "Oh, this? What's your point?"

"It doesn't do anything for your feminine figure," he sent him a fanged, toothy grin.

"There's only so much reason to dress up out here," retorted Nuriko. "I'm not one to completely ignore functionality."

"Just sayin' it's different," shrugged the other warrior.

* * *

Miaka coughed, but didn't open her eyes. She felt groggy, and so soaked that she couldn't move. _No, _she thought, _there's something holding me. A person? _She struggled to open her wet eyelashes, hoping no water would fall in, and she saw someone's collarbone against her nose. With blood rushing to her cheeks, she felt a bit more awake. Looking to the right, she noticed the other person's clothes. _Oh, it's Kaika, _she thought. _That's right. He pushed me out of the way of that lightning bolt. Soi must have done something. _She paused to listen, but didn't hear anymore of the storm. It must had been safe to get up again, so she pushed. "Kaika, let go."

Funny, she didn't remember Kaika being his heavy. Not that she had ever tried carrying him, but he never looked like he should be this heavy. She was going to speak a little more harshly to get him to wake up, but was startled by a deep voice right next to her ear. "Are you alright, Miaka?"

She would have jumped if she wasn't already pinned. "M-M-M-Mitsukake! Don't startle me like that!"

Relieved, but sore from being battered around in the river, Mitsukake let go of them and sat up, then nudged Kaika awake as he let Miaka free. "Where are we?" the younger warrior drowsily looked around at their new surroundings. None of them were sure how to answer.

Tamaneko scampered out of the doctor's shirt and shook what water he could off his paws, and Mitsukake breathed very deeply to collect his thoughts. "If we follow the river back up stream, we should be able to find our way back. Though I'm not sure how far we've come." He spoke confidently enough, but Miaka noticed how furiously Mitsukake's hands were shaking, and wondered if it was only because he was cold.

_The shinzaho! _the priestess jumped as she remembered and immediately felt the pouch at her side. Tears started to form… it was empty. Emotionally, she could not contain the rotten, hollow feeling and began to wail, alerting Kaika and Mitsukake of what she had lost.

* * *

"Look kid, I'm sorry, but we just can't have 'ya."

The words still rang clearly through Tomo's mind. It had been nearly four years ago that he had this conversation.

"First of all, I am no child," the young man replied angrily with the opera director. At that time, he had been desperate for a new opera position and had to make use of his beast-like strength to run favors for those who might employ him. Because of this, he could not afford to eccentrically stay in costume at all time, but he still managed to keep his humanity enough to keep himself groomed. "And secondly, who do you think you are, having me run errands for the past three days, and then telling me you no longer require me?"

He took a threatening step towards the backstabbing conductor, to which he stood his ground, although got considerably redder in the face.

"Look! Tomo, right, that's what you said your name was?"

Tomo's glare intensified; of course he had hammered his name into the man's head, it was the only way to get people to remember you in show business like this. At least until they saw your wonderful singing skills, that was.

He hadn't been able to help losing his first job; it hadn't been his fault. Well, not exactly. His celestial power was, after all, to turn into a violent animal, and by this time, he could not always decide when he wanted to be a wolf. He had lost control one single time, something that shamed him even now. Thank the gods no one had been killed, although it was enough to send him out onto the streets, out of the opera training house he had spent most of his life in. This, of course, fully granted his frustration with this man, who had passionately promised possession of a role in his theater troupe, if he would just do some 'favors' for him. He should have known.

"All our spots have been filled, is all, kid! I can't help that! We have other actors to feed."

Before the man was able to react, Tomo had him by his lapel with both clawed hands, glowering over him.

"I will not be had," he growled, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Is there a problem?"

The man looked over Tomo's shoulders as if a saving grace had arrived. Tomo slowly looked over his own shoulder, and was quite taken aback at what he saw. His grip on the man's clothes loosened considerably.

"No, no, of course there's no problem," the man stuttered, quickly removing Tomo's hands from himself, to which Tomo did not react. Tomo couldn't take his eyes away from his new acquaintance; his blue eyes, his defined jaw, and his hair… it seemed as if threads of golden light were gracing his head.

The director took the chance he got. "Well, I'm really sorry kid, but maybe some other time we can work this out." He, of course, said this as he was running as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

The beautiful man who had just arrived finally made eye-contact with Tomo, who had to try very hard to keep his expression straight. "You belong with me," he informed Tomo, looking pleased, as if he had found something he had long since lost.

"Yes," Tomo replied, without thinking. "I'll… go anywhere."

Of course, Tomo had taken 'belong with me' to mean something different. Nakago had meant 'with the Seiryuu Seven', although at that time it was only the Seiryuu Trio. The wolf had lost his chance to use his artistic talents, but at least he was able to train and take full control of his beastly talents. The thought of joining a theater again after Seiryuu was summoned delighted him, but he was still enraptured with the man who gave him opportunity.

_And now is the very time to use it,_ he thought as he shifted his form and eyed the enemy priestess.

* * *

The other warriors had already sensed that something was wrong if Miaka and the others weren't back yet, so they went to check the stream themselves, only to find left-over mud from the earlier storm. "Crap," Tasuki said on behalf of what everyone else was thinking. The others opened their mouths to discuss what to do next, but the only sound any of them heard was a shrill, funneling noise. Nimbly, they jumped out of the way of a spinning ball pummeling towards them, and looked to see where it had come from. The ball zoomed back to the hand of a person shrouded in a black cloak.

"Nakago must have sent him," grimaced Tamahome as he notice the attire, recognizing it well. The mystery person said nothing to him, but charged and made only a grunt of effort as he threw the meteor ball again. The warriors all jumped away from the intruder again, this time readying whatever weapons they had.

"This is bad no da," said Chichiri, though none of them needed him to say it. The monk was alerted by a more agonized grunt next to him, and looked over to see Tasuki holding his shoulder which had been drenched in blood. "Did it hit you?"

"No… it's Miaka."

* * *

Comforting Miaka however they could and telling her it wasn't her fault, the two warriors and priestess had barely begun to walk back upstream, when they, too, had an unwelcome visitor. No one saw the surprise coming until it landed against her back, and while Miaka could not feel any pain, she could feel the wolf's weight and it's breath down her blouse as it bit her shoulder. _Tomo! _

Kaika couldn't play the flute while his friends were listening, so he instead forced the end of it against the beast's eye. The wolf flinched and jumped back, changing back into human form so Tomo could put his hands to his face. "Aaahhh!" he screamed and backed up a few steps, then looked up at them hatefully through his good eye.

"What kind of monster is this?" Kaika panted with the others as he observed Tomo's new form, but due to the severity of the situation, resisted making a comment about which form was scarier.

"One of the Seiryuu warriors," replied Miaka. "He must be able to change form at will."

_Very astute_, thought Soi from an unseen distance as she watched the carnage begin. She, too, was wrapped in a black cloak, but surely would still have been recognizable to Miaka. In her hands the shinzaho was hidden, and it had not been damaged at all by the water. _I'll leave this to you, Tomo._ Her responsibility now to was to meet back with Nakago in Hokkan, and hopefully Yui had already gathered the Genbu shinzaho so they could hold the summoning right away. With a last glance over her shoulder, Soi watched Tomo turn back into a beast and charge again at Miaka, this time pinning her to the ground with enough force to perhaps send his claws straight through her. _Nakago must not be planning to let Yui know about this until after she's already made her wishes. I'm so sorry, Yui. _The thought of telling the priestess about the death of her friend made the woman's stomach turn. Accepting what had to be done, Soi fled.

* * *

"What do you mean, 'it's Miaka'?" Tamahome looked wide-eyed at the blood coming from Tasuki's shoulder. Before anyone could explain, Tasuki yelped and two punctures in his upper-chest started to leak with more blood before Tamahome's eyes. "What is going on!?"

"Miaka must be under attack no da!" said the monk as he looked helplessly at Tasuki. He felt a twinge of guilt, but now was not the time to be thinking such things. Seeing as they were still under attack as well, he and Tamahome reacted fast enough to pull the injured warrior away from the spot on the ground where the meteor balls crashed into the sand. He flinched at the movement, but kept his mouth clenched in pain.

"Somebody's gotta find Miaka," he said in a hoarse voice, "this guy's only a distraction."

"Then we'll stay here and keep him distracted, too," Chichiri said authoritatively, then to Tamahome, "You take him somewhere safer. Try to see if you can find Miaka and Mitsukake."

Even though he still wasn't sure what to make of it, Tamahome swung Tasuki's better arm over his shoulder and helped him hobble away, while Chichiri went back to assist Hotohori and Nuriko. "What's going on?" Tamahome asked him, though he didn't expect much of an answer.

"It's a shadow-double thing," he replied, trying to convince himself that he wasn't in too much agony to at least do that. "It's a spell so that whenever Miaka gets hurts, I'll take it for her."

"Then these are Miaka's injuries?"

"She's not takin' 'em."

"Why did you do this!?"

"It's your own stupid fault fer' showin' up that night and running away with the scroll."

"I didn't--" he started defensively, but paused. _So that's why she was able to catch up to me so fast. And that's why when we were under Ashitare's spell, nothing happened to her. _"So she's not superhuman after all."

"I dunno, you could still make a case for that with how she eats."

Tamahome chuckled weakly. It was a nice little distraction from his friend's situation. Had he thought that correctly? Yes, by now he did consider these people his friends, and couldn't imagine why he didn't join them sooner before. They paced quietly, apart from shuffled footsteps in the sand and heavy breathing, but silence didn't sit well with Tasuki no matter how dire the situation might have been. "Dammit, if my sisters ever find out about this, they'll kill Miaka anyway."

"Yuiren said you called them 'demon sisters'."

"That's close enough to what I said. Good thing she didn't hear what else I've said about 'em. Man, poor Kouji must be havin' a helluva time takin' care of them by 'imself."

"Don't talk so much, Tasuki. You're already bleeding all over me."

"I'll talk if I damn well please!" he snapped, then closed his eyes as a wave of pain flashed over him and blood started flowing from his scalp. "If Kouji could see me now, I bet he'd be a wreck. I bet he wouldn't hold back at whatever's doin' this to Miaka. Shit, I wish he were here."

"Don't fall apart on me yet, Tasuki. As soon as we find her, I'll be the one not holding back."

"No, as soon as we find her, _I'm_ gonna let loose n' fry the damn thing."

Tamahome laughed at his attitude. "Fine, you do that. Just let me have a wing and you can have the rest of the chicken."

* * *

When Miaka was pinned to the ground, Kaika did play the flute, and Tomo yelped in pain and backed away from them, shaking his head. Mitsukake helped her up as the other explained, "I played a shrill note that only his ears should have been able to hear. I don't know much more I can do that, so you have to cover your ears if I'm going to fight."

Mitsukake noticed that besides her torn clothes, she seemed uninjured. Following the trail of his gaze, Miaka realized the same thing herself. "Tasuki!"

"We'll leave the wolf to Kaika. Let's go and find him."

They turned to run, but Tomo lunged with inhuman speed and turned back into a human so he could grab her hair with his fingers. "Kekekeke. Not so fast, Priestess of Suzaku." With perfect control over his physical features, his fingers grew closer to claws and dug into her hair, but without the pain, Miaka wasn't sure how far. Without the pain, such an intense situation felt more like a helpless dream than like reality. Effectively stuck, she yelled to Mitsukake, "Just go! Find him!"

"No blood?" Tomo moved his colorful face close to hers. "I think I've heard of that doubling spell. Must have pulled that with one of your warriors, hmm? Kekekeke. Very clever." Kaika continued playing the shrill notes, but it had no effect while Tomo was in human form, so he continued to taunt her. "But that spell doesn't work anymore once the other person is _dead._"

Miaka thought she might have felt something, but there was no pain at all. Nervously, she looked down to her torso, and saw Tomo's clawed, disembodied hand. Or rather, it wasn't disembodied it all; it had pummeled straight through her stomach.

_Ta… suki?_


	29. Chapter TwentySeven

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

As much as his instinct told him to stay with his priestess, Mitsukake fled, first following the river, and then looking down to the cat running along side him. He meowed loudly. "You're not a dog, but can you smell Tasuki anyway? The red-headed one?" the doctor asked him in human language, not expecting any response. Tamaneko meowed again, then darted away from the river. Though skeptical, Mitsukake saw no harm in following. He didn't know where he was going anyway. 

Though this wasn't a time to being playing games, he reminded himself.

* * *

Tamahome had not needed to drag Tasuki anywhere, as he was stepping fine on his own, so he was alerted when he felt him get heavier. The warrior mad no audible complaint, but his jaw did drop a bit as another onset of pain stormed his body. The coppery smell got stronger, and Tamahome looked to him quickly. From his mid-torso, blood was pouring out profusely. "Shoot," Tamahome said under his breath and stopped to let Tasuki down so he could better see the wound. "Why is this happening?" he repeated as he fumbled to take off his coat and press it against Tasuki's chest. 

"Not so hard!" Tasuki whispered harshly.

"I have to make the bleeding stop!" the other warrior yelled back. The more he pressed, the more Tasuki winced. To drag his eyes away from the sheer amount of blood, Tamahome looked up to Tasuki's face. He was sweating and miniscule tears were forming in the corners of his eyes. In some places he looked flushed, in others, like his skin had no pigment at all.

"Dammit," he murmured, then quieted as Tamahome kept struggling to help him. The more he did so, though, it more he noticed quite how serious a predicament his friend was in.

* * *

Miaka jerked as Tomo pulled his hand away. The Seiryuu warrior looked at his fingers carefully and waggled them a bit. "Hmm. No blood. The guy must be like a cockroach." 

The Priestess's body shook in terror, imagining what she had caused to happen to her warrior. Her knees became weak, so she sunk, but Tomo still had a grip on her hair to keep her upright.

"Cover your ears!" She felt numb to the sound of Kaika's voice at first, but he called again. "Miaka!"

_Right! I can't let him do anything else to me! _As she held the sides of her head tightly, she screamed a bit; partly to block any sound, and partly to release her shock. Tomo noticed her actions, and fortunately Miaka's scream had startled him enough that he couldn't cover his own ears fast enough, and therefore, was left vulnerable to the sound.

"Aaauughh!" he dropped his hold on her and held his own head. "Stop that infernal noise!"

The problem with playing the flute is that you can't yell to someone to get away while they have the chance, so Kaika continued playing, though he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to keep Tomo at bay while still not harming Miaka with any of the sound.

* * *

The cloaked figure attacking the others still had not backed down. "We can't even get close to him," Nuriko wiped some sand away from his mouth which flew up at him during a narrow escape. They had been stuck in a high-stakes game of chicken. At least the attacker was only down to one meteor ball now, as Hotohori had been able to slice one off the tether. They found it curious that the attacker was so careful not to remove his hood, and perhaps more concerned about concealing his identity than about actually killing the warriors. This bothered Nuriko to no end. "It's as if he's toying with us." 

"That's enough," a female voice said from a distance. The others instantly recognized the voice as Soi's, and before they could yell anything in her direction, the more mysterious figure had made a swift exit.

"What's enough?" Hotohori wondered aloud in all seriousness. Whatever it was, it did not bode well, so they took off in the direction Tamahome and Tasuki had gone before.

* * *

Mitsukake, not wanting to be weighed down by damp clothes, had stripped his coat off while following his cat, who would wait for a few moments at a time before darting off again. He was sure now that Tamaneko was leading him somewhere, even if he didn't know which one was Tasuki. The cat could probably have been able to pick up on the scent of blood somewhere and had registered a connection between that and where Mitsukake was usually rushing off to back home: the sick and injured. It would have been a fine moment to appreciate the things nature blesses different creatures with, he thought, if only he weren't in such a hurry. Soon, his own nose caught the coppery scent, and he spotted up ahead Tamahome and Tasuki, who was sprawled out on the sand. Tired as he was, his feet started moving faster. 

"Mitsukake!" Tamahome jerked up. His botton lip was shaking and he was shamelessly letting a few tears fall from his face. "Tasuki, he's… he just shut up. He's not talking or saying anymore… he might… you might be too late."

All too familiar words. Mitsukake felt the color drain from his cheeks whenever he heard them.

"Come on," he turned his attention back to the silent warrior. "Say anything. Just… you can't be done! If you give up now, all of this is going to happen to Miaka. You…" he trailed off. Mitsukake knelt beside him, and before even bothering to take a pulse, he dipped his hand in the holy water Taiitsukun gave him and then tried to use it to heal Tasuki. The blood disappeared from the shirt Tamahome had been using to stop the bleeding, as well as from Tasuki's own clothes. But the warrior was still silent. The two other warriors waited… painfully.

_He's gone, _Tamahome let his head hang. It was as if an uncontrollable fire had just flickered out.

"Are you crying, Tama?"

"Why do I need to answer that. Of course I'm crying."

"Like hell I'm 'done'."

Tamahome and Mitsukake opened their eyes quickly to see the smug look on Tasuki's face, and then he burst out laughing. "Of course I ain't dead! But wow, I didn't know you could be such a sucker, Tama. You fell for it!"

"You… you just pretended to be dead!? That's despicable! I should kill you for that!"

"It wasn't even for five seconds, geez. Take a joke," he sat up and smiled just as widely, although he might have actually been covering up his own unease about how close he had actually come to death. He was now even more fired up to find Miaka and rescue her from whatever was going on. Before he was about to stand up, he looked to his other side and saw Mitsukake-- Mitsukake, who was wearing an angrier expression than Tasuki had ever in his life expected to see on the gentle man. "Ohh! Mitsukake… uh… didn't mean t' fool the doctor, too."

"You just barely owe him your life and then you go and scare him, too!?" the other one lambasted him. "What about before he got here? Were you just pretending to scare me then, too?"

"Uh… dunno what you're talkin' about there. I only woke up when I felt the water on my face."

"In any case, Miaka's still in danger," Mitsukake pointed to the direction from which he came.

* * *

Tomo noticed, despite the ear-splitting noise filling his head, that Miaka was started to get away. He turned back into a wolf's form and lunged for her, putting a deep scratch into her elbow which was sticking out as she covered her ears. She yelped and pulled her hands away, which forced Kaika to stop playing. Able to attack a full strength again, Tomo growled loudly and began to run towards her again, only to be interrupted by a wall of flames. The wolf quickly looked in the direction they came from, only to see Tasuki resting his tessen against his shoulder and letting the blood drip freely from his elbow. "I remember seeing this puppy before." 

"Tomo!" Tamahome recognized him as he came up from behind him a little slower, supporting Mitsukake now.

"I don't care what his name is, he's dead meat to me."

"Tasuki!" Miaka beamed as she saw him.

"Get out of the way, or I'll be feeling this in the morning," he gestured with his chin for her to move. She scampered as fast she could in the sand, just quick enough to avoid the impending attack: "Rekka… Shinen!!" Tomo whimpered… but Tasuki had left him no escape from the flares, and the wolf perished. As soon as it was safe, Miaka ran to her rescuer's side.

"You're alright," she said with the utmost relief. "I was so scared. Then Mitsukake made it in time?"

"Barely," answered Tamahome as he joined them. "What do you know, the clown got to live."

"You're never' gonna let me live that down, are you, Tama?"

"Shouldn't you be treating us all a little bit nicer by now, Tama-kins?" asked Nuriko as he butted in and pulled on the said warrior's cheek. Hotohori and Chichiri were right behind him, quite relieved to see that everyone seemed alright.

"What was all that about, anyway?" the monk looked back in the direction Soi and the other person had fled. "It seemed like a distraction for something no da."

"Miaka!" Kaika snapped more alert at Chichiri's words. "The shinzaho!"

Her eyes grew wide. "They must have it!"

* * *

The Seiryuu camp had been a little less interesting. Nakago suggested Yui rest a bit after her frozen ordeal as they waited for Soi and the others to return with the other shinzaho. The priestess, as impatient as she was to get further out of the cold region, was quietly very pleased that things were already going so well. 

"I'm glad you suggested that we go out and look for the Shinzaho ourselves," said Doukun and he placed a bowl of soup in front of her. "Things wouldn't be moving so fast if you hadn't."

"They hardly feel fast enough while we're waiting," she sent him a small forced smile. "Soup again?"

"There's hardly anything out here to prepare," he frowned.

"There's not much to do, either. What is Nakago up to?"

"Preparations for the summoning."

"Already?" she raised her eyebrows. "He did tell me to rest so that I'd be prepared for the summoning, but does he mean to do it out here? I thought we'd do it in the shrine back in Kutou."

"That would be desirable, but it's not imperative to hold the summoning there once you obtain the Shinzaho. Rather, we should be more concerned about the Suzaku warriors using our own plan against us by purloining the Shinzaho back, so they should be used as soon as possible."

"I understand, but," she gave him a unimpressed expression, "do you really think they're capable of that? We've usually had the upper-hand before."

"They're still celestial warriors and should not be underestimated."

"Hh-hmm," she pretended to acknowledge, but didn't care to think much of it. "What about Miboshi? What is he doing right now?"

"Oh," the boy got an awkward smile. "He's searching himself."

"In the Buddhist sense, or what?"

"The personality changes are becoming more troublesome for him. I've been trying to help, but…"

* * *

"Miboshi!" the boy had called out to his fellow warrior. "I managed to do some research about people with multiple personalities, and I may have found something that will help. I'm only going to ask you a few questions, alright?" he smiled and tried to hide a giggle while he hid what he was really going to do. So long as Miboshi answered in his true personality, Doukun would answer back, but if he used the other personality, he would ignore him, and eventually it would train him to only use the original personality. Perhaps. 

"What a pointless idea," the other rolled his eyes exaggeratedly and rested his chin in palm. "Fine, go ahead."

"I'll start simple. What do you define as your occupation?"

Another eye roll. "I am a Seiryuu warrior who to defends my priestess and country, who," he paused, then changed his tone, "who destroys other people's lives in order to assist myself. Which is," he paused again and switched back to the previous tone, "completely justified."

Not exactly as clear of an answer as he was hoping for, but Doukun accepted it. "What about… your likes and dislikes?"

Miboshi grew an amusing smile. "I enjoy watching Tomo put on his make up. His deep concentration is humorous what with the result he gets." Then his face became more serious. "And I dislike being forced to do things against my will. Especially when it's against my beliefs."

_Which one of those if the real Miboshi and which is the fake, I wonder? _the boy struggled. Perhaps it would be better to try a more direct question. "If Yui were dying, what would you do?"

The subject forced himself to think before answering. "I would do everything in my power to prevent her death."

Once again, Doukun wasn't able to distinguish which personality was speaking. "What is your most important possession?"

Miboshi held out his prayer wheel but blurted, "My immortal soul. It's the only thing I have left, after all."

"That was almost a detached-sounding statement."

"I have no need for possessions. Nothing is truly mine anymore, I have nothing to call my own."

"Now that might be causing some of your problems!" Doukun got excited, pleased that his little game of psychology might have some results after all. "You have to make sure that you constantly reaffirm yourself that you belong to you, otherwise you naturally won't have any control over yourself."

"I try! I really do!" the other warrior imploringly. "You don't know how hard it is, what it's like to have someone else with you... Why won't he just fizzle out like all the other children!? It's like a tick. A tick that talks and won't stop talking."

Doukun responded with an air of deep concern in his voice. "The problem with ticks is that the longer you let them stay, the larger they become."

Miboshi furrowed in thought, then asked in a rational voice, "And you think it would eventually consume me?"

"It seems entirely possible."

"That's nonsensical," he screamed back irately. "He's only a little tick of a child, and I could never be completely overtaken by a simple child! Why would I even have this ability if I wasn't capable of harnessing it properly, like I have for nearly a dozen bodies? For decades? It's infuriating that you'd even think about an annoyance becoming anything dangerous!"

* * *

Yui chortled on her soup. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh," she said back to Doukun as he was recalling the previous conversion. "But it sounds like he did have more control of himself by the end, even if he was angry." 

"It certainly sounds more appropriate of him, doesn't it?"

* * *

Miaka and her warriors, healthy although tired, charged through the sand, not questioning Kaika as he motioned for them to follow his directions. _It seems wrong to use my sense of my brother's life force to track them, but what choice do I have? At least sometimes it's useful to be related to your enemy, so you at least know--_

He tripped over his feet a bit as he thought, realization almost completely knocking him down. _That's how they were able to find us and take the shinzaho! He was following _me _the whole time! _He wasn't sure whether he was more angry at Suboshi for doing that or at himself for not noticing sooner.

"If they were only delivering the shinzaho, they're probably going to meet up with more of the other warriors no da!" cautioned Chichiri. "We should be prepared for another fight!"

"I'm up for it," grinned Tasuki. "They're already down two warriors."

* * *

"Lady Yui?" 

She and Doukun jumped at the sound of a boy's voice, and turned to see Suboshi lifting the curtain door into the makeshift room. "We have the Byakko shinzaho. Soi is presenting it to Nakago right now."

"Oh," smiled the priestess. "Thank you, Tomo."

"Suboshi," his expression sank. "I'm Suboshi." His glance shifted over to Doukun who had been standing beside the table Yui sat at. "Oh. And Amiboshi's here. Don't you go anywhere?"

"We've been very busy here."

"Yes, we've already got the Genbu shinzaho as well," clarified Yui. "I guess Nakago will want to do the summoning right away."

"Wow, everything's been going so fast. We're barely even met," he said.

"I've been here long enough, that's for sure," replied Yui, much to Suboshi's chagrin.

"You still have time to make preparations yourself before the summoning," he continued trying to make conversation, now that he finally had the chance. "The Suzaku warriors- what's left of them, anyway- were on our trail. But you don't have to worry. I'll protect you."

Doukun nodded. "This is part of what we had been preparing for. Miboshi will meet them before they get to camp and distract them while the rest of us assist Yui at the ceremony."

Suboshi grimaced. _Thanks for stealing my thunder. _"Why distract them? Shouldn't he just use his demons and get rid of them all?"

"I suspect that you might not want them all obliterated," the other warrior gave him a sharp look. "After all, one of them seemed distinctly--"

"No! They should… the ones who know they're loosing will get away while they can, so they're not worth a second thought."

"I don't want Miaka to get hurt, either," frowned Yui.

In the pit of his stomach, Suboshi had a sinking feeling. Tomo had meant to kill the priestess, did he not? By now, he had to have--

Come to think of it, he couldn't sense Tomo's life force anymore. Shortly before he got back to camp, something felt strange, but he didn't even think of the wolf-man. Did the Suzaku warriors kill him?

Miboshi floated outside quietly, eyes closed in contemplation. With the same visceral knowledge as Suboshi, he opened his eyes again. _They've killed Tomo. And they're headed this way._

* * *

**Author Notes: **Ha ha, psych!!_  
_


	30. Chapter TwentyEight

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

Tired, Miaka and her warriors finally spotted what looked like a camp site. Hardly a spot worthy of summoning a God, but the priestess was unaware that the other shinzaho had already been captured and so she did not have quite enough of a sense of panic. _I just need to get it back! I just need to get it back!_

_Why does this keep happening? The last time I got either of the shinzaho, I let them slip right out of my hands! Stupid butterfingers! _

_At least, _she turned to warriors running along side her, _I'm not trying to get it back alone this time. _

"Wouldn't it have been smarter," huffed Nuriko, "if we had made a short detour to get the horses!?"

"We would have lost them, though," frowned Kaika. "After all, they were only going on foot, too--"

"But some of us are already exhausted!" Tamahome exclaimed. After all, it fell on his shoulders to continue helping Mitsukake stumble along, as he completely lacked the energy to keep up with the others after having nearly brought Tasuki back from the dead.

"Would you all quit arguing?" Miaka gave them a stern face. "All that matters now is that we get the shinzaho back! It's--"

"Miaka, look out!"

A second earlier, and the warning still would not have prevented her from being swept up by a large, impish monster. In it's gangly hand, it squeezed her far beyond her comfort. Fortunately, Hotohori moved swiftly and was able to free her by slicing off the demon's forearm. She fell, and as he thrust the blade into the monster's small chest, causing it to disappear, Chichiri put up a barrier to protect them all. "Are you alright, no da?"

"Yeah," she lightly touched the sore spots left on her arms. "What was that?"

The all turned again towards the direction it came from, and this time saw a swarm of eel-like demons in the air, all charging at the barrier. As they hit it with their foreheads, the glowing wall shook, but they stayed on the other side of it.

"Where're they all comin' from? Are they gonna break through?" Tasuki stared at them, bewildered.

"More importantly, how can we get past them?" asked Hotohori.

_These things are familiar,_ mused the priestess. _Where have I…? _she paused and looked beyond the monsters, where the figure of a floating child appeared. "Miboshi!"

"Another Seiryuu warrior is doing this?"

"It has to be him. He can summon demons!" she pointed back to the figure, who was now quite distinguishable. The others grimaced.

"Wow. How do you know all this, Miaka?" blinked Nuriko.

"Ahhh… um…," she stopped, then quickly pointed to another warrior. "Tamahome told me about him."

"What?" he jumped. "I've never seen that guy in my life!"

"But didn't you live in the Kutou palace and see all of them--"

"Only Nakago and Soi actually lived inside the main palace where I patrolled. Tomo was only around because he was annoying."

Kaika breathed a quick sigh of relief as he heard that, and Miaka was also relieved that they turned their attention away from her and back to the monsters and their controller. "We can't attack them from in here, but we should be careful not to go out of the barrier. Some of us, at least," cautioned Hotohori. "Chichiri, how long can you keep this up?"

"Not forever," he tensed as another demon rammed into it.

"I'll go out," offered Kaika heroically. Truthfully, he felt guilty that he had lead them into trouble, and felt the need to do something helpful. "The sound waves won't be as harmful to you all if you stay in here."

"It's too dangerous!" shouted Miaka, but Hotohori nodded at him to try. The foreign prince made Miaka cover her ears with her hands as the boy began to play his most effective, violent tune to rip the demons to shreads. The notes rang sharply, almost enough to make himself feel ill, but the demons didn't show even the least discomfort. A cocky smirk appeared on Miboshi's face, and he finally spoke out loud to his enemies.

"It's useless. My demons only hear my commands."

At this, the prayer wheel began spinning and the demons turned their attention away from the barrier and over towards the lone warrior. Kaika could only open his mouth in surprise before one had wrapped itself around his torso tightly, lifting him into the air and squeezing. The others watched helplessly and jerked as he was caught.

Hotohori stood and readied his sword to charge out. "I'll help him. It's my fault for sending him out."

"You can't do that," Mitsukake said to him without taking his eyes off the peril Kaika was in. "It's too dangerous."

"We can't just--"

"Of course we can't," a sassy voice said as Nuriko pushed down on his shoulder, forcing Hotohori to sit down next to Miaka. "I'll go, you stay here."

"Nuriko, don't do anything crazy," frowned Miaka worriedly. "You have important responsibilities, too."

"Not as much as some other people," he winked, and then let his bracelets turn to armlets. "Besides, I'm not planning on getting myself killed." With that, he ran out of the barrier and charged towards the demon holding Kaika.

"Of course you wouldn't _plan _on it!" Miaka shouted back, but it fell on deaf ears.

Miboshi was distracted momentarily by Kaika's anguished face, as if something inside of him didn't want to see it. Of course, he knew exactly what that something was and promptly ignored it. In that small frame of time, however, Nuriko had grabbed two ends of the demon and, with deep breath, began untwisting it's frame.

"Nuriko," the boy look to him as the grip loosened. "What are you…?"

"Can you wiggle out now?" the other asked through his teeth. Using what strength he could muster, Kaika did as he was told and hit the ground. Instantly, he darted back to the barrier, only to turn behind him and see that his rescuer was now left vulnerable. He opened his mouth to shout a warning, but another demon had already shot out a wormlike appendage to ring Nuriko's neck.

* * *

"Sorry a makeshift bath is all we could muster out here," Suboshi said, with his back to a curtain. On the other side of it, Yui sat in a basin of heated water, though only the bottom especially hot. Around her shoulders, the water was already lukewarm.

"We really couldn't manage to go anywhere else? We already have the shinzaho, I don't think we're in that big of a hurry."

"The altar is already prepared as well," he continued.

"There's hardly anything ceremonious about two small pillars and drapery."

"We made a platform for you, too, isn't that worth anything?"

"Well, at least it'll be clean. We've been camping since we left Kutou and I'm sick of finding pine needles in my shoes."

Suboshi wondered if there was anything she didn't complain about, but it didn't bother him much. "Are you ready for this?"

"I _am _wondering," she started, much to the warrior's attention, "what exactly does Nakago plan for me to wish for once I've summoned Seiryuu? Everyone keeps telling me 'for the safety and prosperity of Kutou', but that doesn't mean anything. After all, Nakago says war is necessary, and they need Konan's land."

"And Seiryuu will help us win the war."

"Yes, but is it really necessary? This is a god with awesome power we're talking about. Would it really be so impossible for Seiryuu just to make all the land fertile and punish wrongdoers? The Genbu warriors seemed to think not, especially when Nakago mentioned exactly that to them-- completely contradicting what he had told me before about the necessity of war."

"Are you sure you're not thinking too much into this?" the boy smiled awkwardly, mentally asking her why the hell he was supposed to have the answers. Warriors were there to protect her, not to answer questions. Well, unless they were Amiboshi, who gets to sit around and do nothing but think. That stupid brat, getting to spend all that time with Yui when it was Suboshi who would be far more likely to be able to protect her if she were in danger. If only he had been able to go with her to Hokkan, to help her attain the shinzaho in those dangerous mountains! Of course, had that been the case, he would not have been able to reunite with Koutuku, who he was sure was going to abandon the Suzaku priestess as soon as he saw that it was hopeless to try summoning Suzaku. At least once Seiryuu was summoned (for which he would be right at Yui's side, his rightful place), his twin brother would return to him and admit he was wrong, and then he'd have both important people at his side. And maybe if he was really lucky, Seiryuu would accidentally hit with lightning bolts some of the other Seiryuu warriors who he found more annoying.

"Suboshi? Could you hand me my towel please?"

"What? Oh, yes," he obliged.

* * *

"Nuriko!"

Desperately, Nuriko tried to pull the tentacle off his neck, but the more he struggled, the tighter it got. The others watched him grit his teeth and hold his breath, unsure what to do next. As if to look in any direction for help, Miaka's eyes wandered over to Miboshi, of all characters. She thought she had imagined it in her frenzied state of mind, but his expression looked just as shocked and horrified as theirs all did. His lips moved, and while Miaka couldn't hear him, it looked as if he were saying "Don't hurt anyone." The grip on Nuriko loosened slightly as Miaka saw this, giving Nuriko a chance to take a deep breath, but the usual Miboshi returned immediately.

"This is _not _good timing," he snarled to no one in particular, and caused the prayer wheel to spin again. The ground shook as a far larger demon rose from the ground beneath them, and then pulled back one of it's large arms to strike them. The fist made impact against the barrier, shattering it immediately, the force sending the warriors tumbling. Miaka started to scramble to her feet as someone yelled to run, but over her shoulder she saw the arm pulling back for a second strike. She uselessly braced for impact, but was surprised to hear a charged sound rushing past her instead.

A large, intense blast of red light hit the demon square in it's chest, leaving a wide hole in it. Tamahome stood directly across from it with his hand stretched towards the monster. His face was furrowed in concentration.

Miboshi seemed shaken from the blast as well, as his shoulders were tensed and his face was turned behind his hands. "What are you doing here?" he looked back at Tamahome with a baffled, angry expression. "I thought Nakago had you employed."

"You're a little slow, then," he answered.

"I'm sorry!" the enemy closed his eyes forcefully and yelled.

"…What?"

"Don't hurt anyone. Don't hurt anyone," he repeated quietly to himself, and the demons began to shrink back again. The limb around Nuriko loosened significantly, letting Nuriko take another deep breath of relief as it started to lower. An instant later, however, it quickly tightened messily around his arms and chest as Miboshi held his head. "For crying out loud, give it a rest!"

"Is this guy a nut or what?" Tasuki asked, as now his behavior was apparent enough for everyone to notice.

"No! It must be the child in the body he's using!"

Tasuki nearly lost his balance at Miaka's words. "Where the heck didja get an idea like that!?"

"That's not his real body. He possesses children," she said back to him authoritatively. "Maybe… just maybe, the child can fight back!"

"Jeez, what a creep," Tasuki looked back to the Seiryuu warrior holding his head. "I don't think we can just wait for the kid to make a come back. Let's just fry 'im while he's distracted."

"Don't do that! He'll just wind up taking _yours._"

"Take _my _body? Gross, don't say stuff like that, Miaka."

"I don't need any other body," the warrior hissed. The large demon started to rise again. "This one is mine. Mine!!"

The demon struck again, but the warriors jumped out of it's path with the priestess in tow. "It's not yours!" Miaka yelled back at him. "It belongs to that child!"

"It does?" a meeker voice said, then he looked curiously at his hands. "My… my body… it's…" Miaka was hopeful, until an irate voice screamed "mine!" Still, with a more nervous expression, he shook his head. "I shouldn't be here. I was supposed to be watching over the temple! I shouldn't be… making demons hurt people!"

"Then don't," a deep voice said from behind Miaka. Mitsukake caught the Seiryuu warrior's full attention as he made a daring step towards him. "You don't have to let that person use you for things you don't want to do."

"I…" he started hopefully.

"Please don't let him do anymore to hurt people," the man said.

"Shut up!" Miboshi screamed and sent a fist towards Mitsukake, but his rage he missed and only grazed his side, though it was still hard enough to send him flailing back several feet. "You all will die right here- including this brat!" He turned the monster sharply towards Miaka to shoot a hand, but Chichiri was able to jump away with her with half a second to spare. "Die! Die!" the warrior shouted and threw more random punches, though the other warriors had already managed to keep their distances. Nuriko wasn't able to move, but was not in line of any other attacks. He felt himself going faint from struggling against the hold of the demon. While Miboshi was too furious to keep a clear track of where everyone was, Tamahome positioned himself behind the demon and took a deep breath, then focused on firing yet another life force blast. The shot took everyone by surprise, but the sound of it surging forth did not compare to the sound of the stone demon falling to pieces.

"Nice shot, Tama," Tasuki gave him a thumbs up. "That gets better every time."

"Happy to be here for your entertainment."

Miboshi was far more shaken from this impact that the last; he had been tossed against the ground and battered a bit. All around him were pieces of the demon, and his prayer wheel was just barely out of his reach. Utterly angry, he shuffled and grabbed in, but moving forward only allowed him to look straight up and see the other demon, which was still holding Nuriko, albeit not as tightly now. Nuriko had lost consciousness, and his head was hung with a pained expression. The site was enough to send Miboshi screaming and scrambling backwards, his hands shaking as he held the prayer wheel. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop hurting people!" he pleaded with small tears in his eyes and started smashing it against the ground.

The other warriors showed up behind him and noticed his actions. "Miaka," Chichiri motioned, "it looks like his child-nature might be winning after all."

"It's not just nature! It's got to be the actual child."

"I think it's him," he remarked, though they had no way of knowing.

The pointed tip, then finally the entire top half of the prayer wheel snapped off at he beat it, and immediately the demons and every part of them vanished. Nuriko slid to the ground, and the Miboshi persona left panted heavily. "The demons are gone?"

"It looks that way no da," Chichiri said to him while checking Nuriko's pulse. Still there, and he would probably come around in a few minutes. "What are you going to do now?" He was mildly curious, but only wanted to hear that he would stop attacking them.

"I…" Miboshi looked at his hands again, and then wobbled as he stood up on his own two feet again for the first time in a long time, "I'll return to the temple and pray to absolve all the harm I've caused."

It seemed like a very unlikely end to the battle, but Miaka was relieved none the less. "Where's the shinzaho?" she asked him sincerely, although urgently. "Do you remember?"

"Soi delivered it to Nakago," he calmly answered. "For the summoning of Seiryuu."


	31. Chapter TwentyNine

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

The makeshift altar didn't look as bad as Yui thought it would. Stepping to the altar in her priestess garb, she felt her hands starting to shake. _This is it. There's no turning back now… I've beat Miaka to it and I'm summoning Seiryuu._

Nakago, with Soi at his side, stood at the edge and motioned to the shinzaho which were placed on small pillars. "Lady Yui. Everything is prepared. Do you remember the wish we discussed?"

"Yes," she answered. "To seal Suzaku."

"Lady Yui," Suboshi smiled expectantly. "Good luck." Doukun nodded from along side him in agreement.

The priestess looked past them, not expecting to see anything but hoping to see Miaka none the less. _I wish she could be here for this so we could go home together right away and forget about this._

It was no use stalling, so Yui took a deep breath, then folded her hands in prayer. "From the four corners…"

* * *

Nuriko felt his head bumping against something. It wasn't the greatest thing to be lulled awake to. "What is going on?" he moaned as he rubbed his eyes, then saw that he was being carried on Tasuki's back as the group trudged into the campsite. "Where are we going, my royal carriage?"

"They're summonin' Seiryuu!" he snapped back, too distracted to pay any mind to the prince's comment. It being a small camp, they quickly found their way around to the back, where the ceremony was in plain view.

"Yui!" Miaka shouted, quickly grabbing her friend's attention. As she ran towards her, though, she hit what seemed like an air barrier and was propelled back by a blue light. Apparently, Nakago had taken and the extra precaution to place wards around the altar.

"Miaka!" the priestess jerked towards her, but her feet stayed in place. She saw Miaka, unphased, turn her attention back towards yelling to her.

"Don't summon Seiryuu! Yui!"

"You don't have to worry about them," said Nakago. "Please continue."

"Exactly. Don't do anything to her," she replied to him and looked away forcefully as a blue character appeared on her forehead. "Hear us, Seiryuu. Alight from the heavens and appear before us now."

The sky rattled with lightning as the enormous figure of a dragon began to descend. The force of it blew wind in all direction, causing Yui's hair to whip violently around her face as she stared upwards. Frozen with awe, her hands stayed in a prayerful position and her feet were planted to the altar. When it seemed as if the dragon was close enough to reach out and touch, a god stood before her. "Priestess," he addressed her.

Everyone else was cowering and shielding their eyes as a blue light enveloped the altar.

It was too late.

"Yui," Miaka breathed in horror and watched, until she felt a hand pulling her shoulder backwards.

"Hurry up! We have to get out of here!" Tamahome shouted over the noise of the lightning and wind. Just behind him, Chichiri had already spread out his tunic and was ushering the others in.

"Not yet!" she shouted back. "Yui is--"

"It's too late!" he yelled, and pulled her harder as the light around the altar started spreading outward. The priestess fell in with him, and they were immediately sucked into the warp.

* * *

_I failed. I failed again! Yui is going to be swallowed up by Seiryuu. I will never be able to summon Suzaku after all. I failed. I failed. I failed._

* * *

The tunic unfolded on the throne room floor in the Konan palace, spitting out the exhausted group. Rokou immediately flung himself off the throne to see them closer. "Where are they? Did you attain them?" No one answered him immediately, causing him to get upset. "What happened? Why does your neck look so bruised, Ryuuen?"

"Not right now," the younger brother shushed him quietly, bereft of much fervor in his voice. The others seemed just as sullen, all listening quietly as Miaka sobbed. She was curled up on the floor and hiding her face, but her pain was openly expressed. Tamahome was rubbing her shoulder as comfortingly as he could, but he was ignored.

* * *

It had finally gotten dark outside. Hotohori stood at her door with the back of his hand hovering in front of it. He pulled it back with a second thought, then raised it again to knock. Before he hit the wood, a voice stopped him. "Miaka didn't seem like she wanted any visitors just yet. Why don't you let her rest?"

Nuriko was wearing a frivolous outfit and looked to the other warrior understandingly. Hotohori sighed, then followed Nuriko. "I want her to know that we aren't mad at her. She did everything she could."

"She's mad at herself anyway," he replied with a shrug. "Were you also going in to say goodbye?"

"Goodbye? Nonsense. How could I leave right now?"

"We failed to summon Suzaku. You don't have much else to stay for, your own country is expecting you."

"I know that," he looked to the floor. "But I still have a responsibility to care for Miaka. Leaving when she might need me most is nonsensical. Besides, the Kutou armies will be attacking any day now."

"And you intend to fight and put your life on the line? How foolish!"

"_You're_ not much better," he scolded him, to which Nuriko playfully gave him a guilty smile.

"But I'm not in charge. And I'm certainly not worried about Rokou running out to the front line and needing a replacement," he laughed a bit. By now, they were outside, and headed towards the gazebo on the lake. "I wouldn't feel any guilt dying for any of you. That's what we're supposed to do as warriors anyway, isn't it? I'm feeling about as useless as Miaka is feeling, like I should have been able to do more."

"Hmm," nodded Hotohori in agreement. "Though this sounds like an awfully heroic speech for someone adorned in women's clothes."

He held up his sleeves and smiled. "It's a comfort, you wouldn't deny me that, would you? Besides, with the war coming up, I won't have much use for them. I might as well enjoy them while I can."

"Very well, I won't deny you that," he smiled back in defeat. "You're right, though. Our duty as warriors is to protect our priestess."

"Hotohori?"

"Yes?"

Nuriko's smile faded. "Are you not worried about returning to Sairou because they have another heir to the throne?"

The other prince paused. "What are you suggesting, Nuriko?"

"The night before we left there," he pouted and seemed very angry simultaneously, "I saw Houki go into your room. She didn't come out until very early the next morning."

"Nuriko," he started, then laughed out loud. "You still must be very enraptured with me to be stalking my bedroom door."

"Then you did?" the other seemed as if he would cry.

"It's true that Houki came to comfort me, but we did nothing of the sort. She knew my brother and Tokaki and Subaru as well, so we spent the night crying and reminiscing together."

"Crying," he repeated, as if a little disappointed. "Still, you'll need an heir at some point. You're not immortal."

"That's something to worry about after the war. Thank you for your concern in the matter," he flashed him a suave smile. The two stayed out a few minutes longer watching the stars.

* * *

_Kai… jin…_

The word rang in Yui's sleeping head. The meeting with Seiryuu had been extraordinary, and caused her to quickly loose consciousness after the event. Her warriors had taken her back to Kutou as quickly as possible, and when Nakago was carrying her back to her bed, she started to wake up a bit. Her body felt too heavy to even bother opening her eyes or doing anything to show that she was conscious, so she merely listened to what was going on around her.

"Shall I get some medicine for her, Nakago?"

_That sounds like Soi's voice. Medicine for me? Am I sick?_

"That's not necessary. Simply let her rest and then tell me as soon as she's awake. We'll commence the first attack as soon as she makes the first wish to seal Suzaku."

_What does that matter, Nakago? _she mentally whined. _They can't summon Him now anyway. I'm too tired to make any wishes for you, fight them yourself. They can't do much harm._

"Are the soldiers who are staying here prepared?" his voice asked.

"Yes. They're still making sure to keep quiet."

"Make sure in the troops we're taking that Lieutenant Chun is in the front line."

"That outspoken emperor-loyalist? Yes, I'll make sure of that."

_Emperor loyalist? Do they just want to get rid of him because he's annoying? _Yui wondered. She felt fingers slide between her body and Nakago's chest, and then heard Soi's voice muffled by Nakago's armor.

"I'm so happy for you'll that you'll be able to take control of the country soon. Everything will be so much better."

_Nakago… wants control? What?_

* * *

"Miaka!"

In her gut, Miaka was startled, but didn't budged from under her covers. Her face, although mostly planted against the pillow, was uncovered so she could use one eye to look around the room. The door was shut. Then why did she hear Tamahome's voice so clearly?

"Miaka, what are you doing in here still?" he leaned over to peer into her face.

"T-Tamahome!" she was now startled enough to sit up and pull the covers around her tighter. "How did you get in here! When?"

"Through the window. That's how I've done it before, and you weren't responding to anyone knocking for you."

"But it's the middle of the night," she whined.

"It's not that late," he lightly knocked her lopside the head. "Besides, you've been in here all afternoon. Aren't you starving?"

"I'm not hungry," she scooted away from him.

"Then something must be wrong with you," he felt her forehead. "Not feeling good?"

"Of course I'm not feeling good!" she snapped. "It's my fault that everyone's in this mess and we can't even summon Suzaku. I never should have been the Priestess of Suzaku in the first place if it never works!"

"Well… so what?" he grumbled, trying not to agree with her. "It's not as if you got any of us killed." _Barely._

"Mmnnph." Although she just wanted to brush him off, it made her feel a small bit better. Even though this was the same situation she had gotten herself into the first time around, she had two extra warriors to show for it this time. "Still, it's not as if you're going to have your powers much longer. As soon as the war starts and everyone goes hopping out to the battlefield, Yui's going to make a wish to seal Suzaku and zap! You'll all just be regular people."

"Zap?"

"And then Yui will make us go home… where I won't even be able to see you all. Who knows what'll happen?"

"Miaka, that's not going to happen."

"Tamahome!" she looked him fiercely in the eyes, "If I'm being taken away, will you grab me? Hold me? Do whatever you could to keep me here?"

The warrior was taken aback by such a sudden question. "Of course. …You're my priestess."

"But I can't do anything as a priestess anymore! What would it matter? Would you still try to hold me knowing that?"

He paused, studying her frustrated face carefully. Was there a hidden question in this? Was she just looking for a comforting 'yes' or did she expect him to say 'yes' just so she could argue with him? "Yes."

The word sent a chill of surprise up her spine, and her cheeks were flushed. _Tamahome._ "Tamahome!" she quickly clung to his arm and started crying again. _I still love you so much. Why? Why couldn't we just be together in the first place, when you still loved me? You'll never know how much you loved me, will you? Tamahome…_

Tamahome thought sarcastically at first, _Yes, she just wanted comfort, _but felt awkward when she clung to him and buried her face in his sleeve. It was a strange mixture of wanting to flee and wanting to stay and comfort her more all at once. "Miaka… stop it." She swallowed hard and looked back up at him with tear-filled eyes, expecting him to scold her. "It's hard to see you like this. You're supposed to be smiling and persistent."

"I can't always act cheerful!" she yelled back. "I'd just be acting dumb if I did. I know this is my fault and have every reason to be mad at myself!"

"Stop it, Miaka, what in the world did you do wrong?" Tamahome looked at her sternly. "You found all your warriors. You brought my family out of Kutou and got me to join you. You lead us right to the shinzaho and got it because you were so strong back there. Even when we were being attacked, you still were strong enough to hold on. Tell me, where did you go wrong?"

"I never should have given the scroll to Doukun in the first place! I should have kept it with me!"

"You had no way of knowing something like that. You're just a trusting person, that's all."

"No, I _should _known better!" she cried. "I should have known not to let go of the shinzaho. I should have known that Yui would have followed me here. These are all things I should have known. I should have known we couldn't be toget--" she stopped, realizing what she was saying, but Tamahome could already guess what she meant to say.

"Miaka… are you saying you're in love with me?"

A pause. Miaka wanted to faint as the blood rushed to her head, or rather, she just wanted to hide. Saying anything like that now wouldn't mean anything to him. He didn't remember anything. _What does it matter? I've already screwed up everything else. _Her silence was enough of an answer for him.

"Why me?" he closed his eyes and turned his face away of her. "Why did you have to fall for me?"

"I already loved you before you knew who I was. Part of the reason I came here was because I was hoping so much to see you. Do you know how crushed I was when you said I was your enemy?"

"This is ridiculous. How would you have known me? Was I just some kind of prince in your mind?" he put a hand to his forehead.

"You don't have to force yourself to like me. I understand," she said with a somewhat commanding tone and turned away from him, expecting him to be relieved.

"You know what? You're right."

_Ouch. I didn't expect him to be _that _relieved._

"You can't be the Priestess of Suzaku anymore, so I don't have to look at you as my priestess I have to protect. I don't have to keep seeing you in my head all the time. I don't even have to have anything to do with you."

_Geez, Tamahome. You don't have to go that far. I get it._

"But if you were getting taken away, I'd hold on to you anyway."

…_Tamahome?_

She turned again to face him, this time wide-eyed as he continued with the old smile he used to use when talking to her tenderly. "Whether you're a priestess or not, who cares. My whole family loves you and wouldn't want you to leave. All the other warriors- my friends- they'd be sad if you left. I got fond of you anyway."

"Tamahome," her lip quivered, "thank you."

"Don't take that as some romantic confession of love or anything!" he defensively changed his tone. "But… while I don't need another little or sister or anything, Nuriko will probably find us a big house after the war, and you don't really have to stay in the palace if you don't want to…"

Miaka smiled with a very warm feeling, even though she recognized Tamahome wasn't giving her any kind of marriage proposal._ What if I do get stuck here anyway? I used to be okay with that before. Maybe…_"That would be nice, Tamahome. But, why don't we talk about that after the war? Then I'll have a better idea what's going on, you know?"

"After we _win _the war, you mean," he smiled, pleased to see her a little more optimistic. "Even if you can't be the priestess, we're still warriors."

"I guess there's never any helping that," she nodded. "I'll go, too!"

"Idiot. You're staying here."

"No, I'm not!" she protested. "I'm getting up right now and… getting dinner!"

Tamahome smacked his hand against his forehead. "Glad to see you're feeling better."

* * *

Two days later, Nakago had lead the troops to into Konan, terrorizing small villages along their way. Doukun had stayed with Yui, who was still very tired, back in the Kutou palace while the other two warriors accompanied the general. Said general was still not pleased that Yui had refused to make his wish.

"You don't need any extra help against them, you're strong enough already. I want to save my wishes for more useful things," she had told him sternly from her bed. "Besides, if you need the extra wish later, you'll have it."

"Lady Yui, please be reasonable. We won't need the extra wish if we simply wipe out all of the Suzaku warriors now."

"I'm still tired, Nakago. Besides, I have faith that you'll be able to do it. Everything's already gone as well as you said it would." Neither bothered to mention that it was at the expense of a few celestial warriors.

Seeing that she wouldn't budge, Nakago forced himself to be polite and obey her yet again, as much as it frustrated him. "Very well. If we do need it, however, please make the wish right away without hesitation."

"_I_ should have stayed with Lady Yui," grumbled Suboshi, but Soi promptly shut him up as she saw Nakago was not in the mood.

* * *

Rokou faced the troops with a sour expression. "Today, you all fight for Konan." There was an enthusiastic cheer, which caused him to grimace more. "You might loose your lives… but please know that your sacrifices… your sacrifices…"

A happy face peeked out from over a suit of armor at him. "Our sacrifices?"

"Ryuuen, your sacrifice is not necessary!" he barked back at the armored prince, who plugged his ears.

"Sorry, can't hear you! Celestial warrior Nuriko is ready to fight for Konan, prince or not!"

The other warriors laughed at his antics and the emperor's whining at him to stop. Like him, the other six of the Suzaku Seven were adorned for battle, and despite their worries or disappointment over how things turned out, were all energized. Miaka especially, though she wore no armor but her uniform and a borrowed sword, was fired up. "I promise, we'll do our best!"

Not long after, they had rode off into battle, with Nakago and his troops looming over the cliff. _Who needs Suzaku? Like Hotohori told me before, when I wasn't the priestess anyway and we were going to war anyway, it's the strength of the people of a country that matters. I don't have to be a priestess. I'm fighting for Konan!_

* * *

**Author Notes: **Wow, you all started asking for Tamahome/Miaka stuff just in time.-Appaku 


	32. Chapter Thirty

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealigator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

Optimism was not enough. Konan lost the war.

As Yui had not yet made any wishes, Seiryuu's power was dormant and Kutou had only their own strength to rely on. When Konan's forces pushed back enough, Yui was finally pressured enough to make her first wish. She did so, but not as it had been discussed before. "Lady Yui," snarled Nakago, "I asked you to seal Suzaku's power."

"Just asking for Kutou's assurance to win is enough, isn't it?" Suboshi snapped back, as Yui seemed like she was in no state to respond herself. Collapsed against her bed, she panted heavily, having never felt so exhausted in her life, even after summoning a God and having it lodge within her.

* * *

The fighting lasted for two months, and gradually, Miaka had lost sight of individual warriors. Hotohori was the first to get separated, and she assumed he had returned to Sairou. It made her sad, but she tried to wish the best for him. After all, he had no obligation to fight on behalf of some other country while his own needed leadership.

Next was Tasuki. He didn't seem like the type to run off, but he had disappeared none the less. While Miaka was still worried about him, she still was sure he was alive because she couldn't feel anything when she tripped or stubbed her toe.

Kaika had also gone missing. No one had any idea about his whereabouts, not even Mitsukake.

The armies continued to dissipate, and finally the enemy forces had forced their way into the castle. This is was probably Seiryuu's blessing, that so many of the Konan troops had been so easily wiped out. Rokou, knowing they had no hope left, succumbed to Nakago's conditions and allowed them to take control over Konan. The country was not adopted into Kutou politically, but was left to be merely an occupied territory of the empire. Rokou was allowed to stay on the throne, but only by governing as he was instructed. Doukun was sent to oversee his activity.

* * *

"Why do they have to send you? Can't they send some government official?" Yui had argued when he was saying good-bye. A little scared, she still refused to make any other wises yet, even having long since recovered from the first.

"It feels right for me to go," he tried to smile for her, "after all, I know Konan best."

"Who am I supposed to talk to, then?" she moaned. "Suboshi? Nothing against him, but he's not always on the same page, you know."

"It might be slower than what you're used to in your world, but we can still send letters," he offered. "That's how Nakago and I will be staying in contact."

* * *

Nakago was indeed a prize general. Not only had he managed to completely take over a neighboring country, but he had simultaneously lead a revolt against the Kutou emperor and his devotees. He claimed the throne for himself, and was now addressed as the emperor. Despite his status, he could not afford to relax yet and still kept busy making necessary changes. Soi, his empress, also kept busy assisting him, but still was able to enjoy a few pleasures of having such a status.

Suboshi was essentially a hand servant to Yui, and didn't mind the role one bit. Something else seemed to have been making him very happy as well, and it wasn't just the way the war had gone.

One of the new rules in Konan deemed the Priestess of Suzaku and the Suzaku Seven warriors as criminals who needed to be brought to justice as soon as they were found. The people of Konan were promised that so long as they followed the new laws put in place, they would be allowed to live as they did before, only under new leadership and socially inferior to the people of Kutou. Naturally, not all were willing to follow these rules, and quietly still supported Miaka and her warriors. Because of this rule, however, Miaka and her remaining warriors thought it best to split up and go into hiding however well disguised as they could be. Mitsukake decided to simply take a fake name and be a doctor somewhere, as they were still in high demand in the aftermath of the war. Tamahome felt responsible for hiding his family somewhere, though he wasn't sure how far a search for safety would take them. Before the palace was stormed, Rokou had already sent Nuriko into a secret hiding place somewhere outside the capital, and Chichiri was left responsible for Miaka. They all felt he was the best to do it, as he still had many useful abilities to keep her safe.

* * *

"It's already been three weeks since we last saw anyone else," frowned Miaka. She was dressed in boy's clothes in public for a little extra safety, and Chichiri stayed in a disguise that pretty much resembled himself, only more normal with no unsightly scar. "Do you think they're alright?"

"We'd probably have some kind of idea if they were in danger, no da," he said. "Say, why don't we go out to eat? It'd help the local economy around here."

"All the money would only go to Kutou eventually anyway."

He frowned, and could tell that she wanted to search for some of the others. "Did you want to head to Sairou? They might be able to take care of you in the palace and then I can look around a bit. Plus we could see if…"

"I'd feel bad leaving!" she said. "Besides, I said I'd protect Konan this time!"

"This time?"

She sighed heavily. "You probably already know, don't you, Chichiri? Did Taiitsukun already tell you that I've done this before?"

"I didn't hear anything in those terms, but I had an inkling something was up na no da."

"When I summoned Suzaku before, I used my last wish to go back and try again as a priestess. Things were already bad enough before; some of the warriors died and Konan wouldn't have an emperor on the throne for years."

"I can see why you'd want to fix things," he said understandingly, "but things didn't go the way you planned them, I guess."

"Yeah. Everything… everyone was a little different then. Suzaku warned me that some things might change about people if I tried redoing them."

"Oh? Then how was everyone before?"

"Hotohori was actually the emperor of Konan, and Nuriko was just in his harem. But he was still a man," she smiled weakly as she remembered. "And Tamahome never would have been part of the Kutou army if it was up to him. Tasuki was a bandit, but they weren't women, and we never had to do any spell like that. Oh, you were still the same."

"That's amusing," he smiled. "Well, however things go, you have the best intentions at heart. Things are always changing. Did you want to look for the others still?"

"Chichiri, I still want to save Konan."


	33. Chapter ThirtyOne

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealligator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase. Yes, we even update on April Fool's Day! Though I was considering mysteriously not leaving an update this week, that would be too heartless.

* * *

Rokou sat regally with his back straight against his throne. While it was under the appearance of retaining his dignity as an emperor, he felt more so as if he had spears at his neck and couldn't make any sudden movements. Konan had lost. For now, he was assured of his brother's safety while he was in hiding, but he had bigger things to deal with. The potential exploitation of his people, for instance, and how he had failed them as a leader.

Having a boy who only used to be an examinee hopeful under his reign now giving him orders only added to the insult. At least Doukun, even though he had chosen to side with Kutou, seemed to have the best interest of Konan at heart, too.

Doukun wasn't entirely sure how to treat the situation, either. Being a Konan native and still recognizing Rokou's title, was he supposed to kowtow before giving him instructions, or should he have been sitting in the more or less powerless throne himself? Surely he should have given this more thought, having been the one who suggested to Nakago that they'd have an easier time getting the people to cooperate if Rokou was left unharmed.

_It's over, _Rokou mulled over the legend of the priestess and her warriors saving his country. _They've failed and Suzaku will never been summoned. Konan will eventually cease to exist. For the rest of my life, I'll only be a tool to make that happen._

_Is this really over? _thought Doukun himself. _Yui still has two more wishes, and we have not resolved the whereabouts of Miaka or any of the warriors. Is it possible that they're still trying to summon Suzaku somehow? But there can't be any other way!_

"Your Highness."

Rokou jumped as he was addressed, then quickly prepared himself to be given more commands.

"There is an imperial library that only government officials are allowed to use, correct?"

"Yes, it only has our oldest texts."

"Where is it?"

Rokou felt somewhat relieved. He was still a boy who couldn't resist studying.

* * *

Yuiren yawned and tugged on the scarf wrapped around her head. It was uncomfortable, but a large hand gently batted her hand away from it. "You have to keep that on so it's harder to recognize you," Tamahome advised her with a weak smile. She nodded and pouted, too tired to argue. They had spent the entire night moving again, as their family was trying to avoid suspicion by staying relatively idle during the day. Among the clusters of peasants displaced by war, they blended in well.

"We'll get to Sairou in about a week," he murmured to her.

"I don't want to go there. It's a desert."

"There's some lush places, too. We'll stay somewhere like that. And we'll have a farm again- one where we can actually grow things! Wouldn't that be nice?"

"I want Chuuei."

Tamahome felt his throat tighten. While he was helping protect Miaka and fight in the war, Chuuei had gone missing just as the palace was beginning to succumb to enemy forces. They hadn't left the capital for a couple weeks, dangerous as that was, because they were trying to find him. They had no choice but to hurry and escape before Tamahome was recognized as one of the Suzaku warriors. "I promise, I'll come back and look for him again when everyone else safe."

Yuiren frowned so deeply that her entire face seemed to stretch with it. The warrior could not guess exactly what she was thinking. Suddenly her eyes widened as she looked into the crowd and pointed. "That's--!"

_Miaka! _Tamahome knew without even turning around. Why had she wound up in the same place they were? Wasn't Chichiri supposed to have taken her somewhere safer by now? This was not a good place to run into her, as it was filled with people and probably Kutou soldiers. He scooped Yuiren up and inconspicuously hurried in the opposite direction. "Come on, Yuiren, let's get back to Dad and the others. There's nothing we can afford for lunch over here."

* * *

"I could have sworn I felt Tamahome--I mean, 'Ogre' around here," Miaka looked around the crowd. "Maybe I was wrong. You might be able to tell better than me, so who do you think we should look for first?"

"Fang Boy we don't know about, but maybe Doc would be by his old village no da."

"Yeah, let's go there! I wonder if Shouka's had the baby by now."

"I could be wrong, but maybe Prince would actually be better to find first."

"Wait- which Prince, Hotohori or Nuriko?"

"I don't think using code names to disguise our real identities is working very well, Miaka," sighed Chichiri. "Besides, if anyone _is _listening, we probably sound even more suspicious like this na no da."

"I guess you're right, let's trash that," she shrugged. "Maybe we should figure out what we're going to do when we actually find each other, too. I'll bet it'd be awkward to run into someone you haven't seen in a while and then say 'Great, now what do we do?' Ha ha…"

The warrior jerked and quickly turned Miaka around, careful to hide their faces. "Funny you should mention that."

"Why? Who is it?" she subconsciously looked over her shoulder to see a soldier dressed in Kutou armor only a few feet away from them. "Eep! A guard is after us."

"Guard?" he quickly looked back over his shoulder. "When did--?"

"Come on, Chichiri, let's get away!"

"Wait!" he pulled away from her tugging. "I know that guard. Why is he here-- in Kutou armor?"

"Know him?" she paused, though still felt the need to flee. "How?"

"A long time ago, he was my best friend," the monked swallowed as he stared. His eyes wavered, though one of them was only a part of his normal-looking disguise. "Hikou," he breathed.

"Best friend?" gawked the priestess, who then quickly looked back in the soldier's direction. "He's a ghost?"

"Ghost?" Chichiri quickly turned back to her. "Of course not. Why would he be a ghost? I'm not _that _strange, Miaka."

"O-oh," she looked down, and hushed her voice a bit more. "The first time I knew you, you mentioned you had a friend, and a girl you loved, named Kouran…"

"Oh," his expression fell understandingly. "Then in your past reality, I _did _kill him."

A little startled by how quickly he accepted something as grave at that, her pause pressed him to continue. "He stole Kouran from me, and I was furious. Mad with rage. I almost did kill him. At the last moment, though," he trailed off in his memory to the moment when Hikou had fallen off the cliff, dangling above the flood waters. His younger self had caught his friend, and struggled to hold on, but then the tree branch was whipped against his face. Chichiri had let go at that moment, but Hikou was able to hold on. Despite the pain, Chichiri was able to pull him back up to safety.

They caught their breath as they sat there in the rain, and their wounds, including Chichiri's eye, had simply been allowed to bleed profusely. "I was so mixed up with emotions that once I could stand up again, I limped over to Kouran's home," he continued explaining, "and even though I didn't want him to be around me, Hikou followed. When we got there…"

Miaka noticed how his voice was beginning to crack while trying to stay so hushed around so many people. She saw the next words coming, but still felt a sinking feeling as he said them: "she had already killed herself over what had happened."

"Hikou was ready to try to kill me again right then and there, but I just wanted to jump in the river and kill myself too, no da," he concluded. "But Taiitsukun and Nyan-Nyan found me before it was too late. I had been hoping to find Hikou again since then, but," he looked back again at the familiar soldier, "not like this."

"But he's alive!" Miaka pressed him. "You have to at least talk to him! He doesn't know that you're a Suzaku warrior, right?"

"It's too dangerous, Miaka," he hushed her.

"You'll regret it if you don't!" she urged again. "As much as I want to see Yui right now- as much as I know she's mad at me- I can't! Don't waste the chance while you have it, Chichiri!"

"No. We have to get out of here before we're reported," he whispered and started to lead her off. Miaka followed sadly, but they didn't get very far before Chichiri paused again, then spun and his heels and ran back.

* * *

"How are you feeling, Lady Yui?" Suboshi comfortingly asked.

"Tired, lonely, and I just want to go home," she replied honestly while draping herself near a window. "I'm sick of this place. I'm sure my exams are already over my now and my mother and teachers are worried sick about why we've disappeared. I feel like I want to throw up whenever anyone mentions Seiryuu or war or anything. Haven't they even found Miaka yet? I want to see her so much."

Suboshi was going to retort 'even though she's your enemy', but seeing as summoning Suzaku was impossible now, the girls individually did not have much reason to compete with each other. Still, Suboshi himself couldn't see Miaka as anything more than Suzaku slime. "Konan's a big place, and she's a little girl. Of course it's hard to find her. You have two more wishes, though. I'm sure you could just wish to have her here or something."

"I don't want to use anymore wishes right now," she tensed at the words.

"You must be exhausted still," he sympathized as best as he could. "Why don't you come get some food? They've set up your banquet."

"Banquets everyday while people are starving. I hate how they run this place. Didn't Nakago say that they had the war so they could feed people?"

"And you're one of the people that needs to get fed, so come on," he smiled and pulled her hand to raise her out of bed. It was such a soft hand. Of course Suboshi wouldn't want to- well, of course he wanted to, but of course he _wouldn't- _touch her without an excuse, but any small excuse merely to hold her hand put him on cloud nine. Life was wonderful lately. His duty to help the priestess summon Seiryuu was complete, he could still be by her side everyday, Kutou had won the war and the corrupt emperor had been done away with, and his own twi--

"It's funny that you always take more food than you need," the priestess noticed. "What do you do with it later? Just dump it outside for the dogs?"

"Yes!" he yelled, utterly startled. "I-I-I used to feed Tomo like that."

"He wouldn't eat at the table?" she gave him an odd look. "You must have been vary close to him if you're still doing that even when he's not here anymore."

"N-not particularly. It's just a habit," he struggled. _I'm sorry to refer to you as some kind of dog, _he mentally apologized to someone else. Soon, that someone else wouldn't have to be a secret and life would be completely euphoric for the young warrior.

* * *

Hikou's spine shook at the sound of his name. "What are you doing alive?" he spun around to see where the voice had come from. There stood Chichiri, still in his disguise to look like his old, uninjured self. Their eyes met, both looking as of they were growing in disbelief to face each other again. "You don't even look like you have a scar on you."

"It _is _you," he said. "When did you join the Kutou army? Our country is in trouble no da."

He only reacted slightly to the unusual speech pattern, and approached him to look at him closer. "The last I saw of you, you had a tree branch in your head and were heading towards the river. What are you even doing alive? Do you know how much I had to struggle to heal myself?" As he said this, he rolled up his sleeves to reveal to him unsightly scars lining his arms in disorderly directions. They served as a reminder of just how furious Chichiri had been the last time they met.

Sadly, Chichiri thumbed Hikou's arm, then lifted his hand to his own face to wipe his disguise off and reveal his own scar. The other was astonished for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. "What have you been doing all this time?" the warrior asked again.

"You have no idea what I've been through. Starting over with nothing but pain!" he snarled. "For a long time, I walked by the river side looking for you. For a whole year, I did that!"

"Looking for me?"

"Yes," his breath seemed hot enough for Chichiri to feel it hanging between them. "I don't know whether it was to see if you were alive or to make sure that you were really dead."

"After I healed, I looked for you, too."

"But you're not dead at all!" he growled. "Where have you been, all this time? How could you have survived tha-- no, how could you stand to live after what you did to me and to Kouran!"

"It wasn't--" he stopped, feeling how hollow the rebuttal was in his mouth. He was sure that Kouran killed herself over their fighting, but it was _he _who attacked Hikou first. For the first few punches, Hikou didn't even fight back, as if to protect Kouran as she was watching! His head fell in shame, as this was no surprise, and he had already had years to mull over it. "I'm so sorry. I can never apologize enough to either of you."

"They why couldn't you just atone for what you did already?" Hikou shouted. "Were you really trying to commit suicide then, or were you just trying to get away before _I _killed you?"

By now, the crowd was starting to notice the spat between what looked like a peasant and a Kutou soldier, and were shifting out of their way. "He didn't have to just take off like that and leave me behind," Miaka muttered to herself as she tried to push through the crowd. As Hikou's temper escalated, the crowd pushed back with more ferocity, pushing Miaka helplessly around with it. "Hey! Oof-Hey! Chichiri! Chichiri, where are you?"

* * *

In another part of the large, bustling crowd, Tamahome was hit with a wave of an unsettling feeling.

"Is something wrong, Kishuku?" noticed his father.

"Miaka," he put a hand to his chest," I can tell her heart's beating really fast, as if she's panicking."

"Get going, then!"

"I can't leave you and the kids again," he shot back. "Besides, she's with Chichiri, so--"

"I'm the father here, I can take care of my own kids. You're the Suzaku warrior!"

"_You're _the one who lost Chuuei!"

They stopped for a moment, feeling the weight of the exchange. Both felt a little guilty, both for mentioning it and knowing it was true. "This family is not as much your responsibility as it is mine," Mr. Sho continued. "If you want us to have any hope of living peacefully someday, you have to go take care of your priestess. Now."

"Dad," he turned obediently, although trying to think of how else to insist to stay with his siblings.

"Help Sister!" Yuiren grabbed his fingers and looked up at him.

He couldn't argue with a face like that, so he darted off in the direction he felt Miaka before. "Go on ahead. I'll know how to find you all," he called before being out of ear shot.


	34. Chapter ThirtyTwo

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealligator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

The crowd had died down, but by now Miaka was far on the outskirts of an unfamiliar town, completely alone. She hadn't seem a glimpse of Chichiri since he turned back to see Hikou, but somehow felt sure that he was alright. _The best thing to do when you're lost in stay put, _she reminded herself, _I'm sure he'll find me soon._

_I hope he hurries. It's getting dark and I'm cold… and I don't know this place. I wish he'd hurry and find me! If this were my world, I could just find a payphone and everything would be fine. _

At that moment, she started to miss her own world and her own family. She hadn't bothered dwelling on the prospect that she might actually be stuck here, living on the run for the rest of her life. _I should have just wished for something else. Anything else!_

_I wonder if Keisuke's reading this again. Big brother, if you are actually reading this, I'm sorry I was so stupid. Tell Mom I'm sorry, too, and I'll miss you. If I only I could talk to someone right now. Back then, things were better. I'll bet that even Kaika wasn't lonely when he was pretending to be Chiriko because he could still write messages to Suboshi. If only I had a twin--_

The ends of her mouth lifted in hope. _I don't have a twin, but I have a shadow double!_

* * *

"Ouch!" a red-headed warrior cringed. "What in the world is she getting herself into now?"

"Where is it now?" Kouji looked to him. Naturally, Tasuki had explained to him what was going on and tried to keep it a secret from anyone else.

"It's on my arm-- ah hee hee! Ah! That tickles!"

"Someone's ticklin' her? That's not good."

"Geez, cut it out--" he looked down to his left forearm, only to see that red markings were appearing there. "It's a message! Miaka's sendin' me a message!"

"What's it say?" the friend looked over eagerly and they began to read together as words appeared.

"Tasuki… I'm… alone… but… I'm… okay. I think… we're… in… west… Konan… or… north…Where… are… you?"

"Thatta' girl, Miaka," he grinned. "What a great way to use this! What in the world is she doin' all by herself, though?"

"Got me. Maybe she got lost from everybody else durin' the battles like you did."

"I was the one with the concussion, man, not her. It's a good thing ya found me, but now the girls won't even let us see the light of day."

His sisters, of course, had not been pleased that despite having been convinced to loan out their laundry helper, the priestess couldn't summon Suzaku anyway. They switched from robbing travelers to building a barricade to protect themselves until everyone had settled into the Kutou occupation.

"Quick, Genrou, send her a reply!"

"Right!" Tasuki revealed his right forearm and put his left finger to in, then paused. "It doesn't work both ways, man."

* * *

_Why did I ask him anything, anyway? I can't hear back from him, _Miaka thought, then sighed. It was getting very lonely. _Just having anyone here would be nice._

"Miaka, is that you?"

_Tamahome! _

"It is," he smiled when she turned to face him. "Where's Chichiri? And… what are you doing in boy's clothes?"

"It was to help disguise me," she wrapped her arms around herself, embarrassed.

"It doesn't suit you at all. Flat as you might be, you can't pass as a boy."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" he smiled as a quick recovery. "And again, where's Chichiri? Why did he leave you all alone?"

"Oh… we ran into someone, and then got separated in the crowd."

"Someone?"

"A Kutou soldier."

"Ah," he said. "Should we look for him?"

_Geez, Tamahome, it'd be fine for me to stay with you for a little while, just the two of us. That's how it always wound up being. _Despite these thoughts, she nodded and walked along side him. With only his eyes, he looked down and noticed that she was shivering. Instead of asking if she was cold, he put her arm around her shoulders and held her a little closer. "T…Tamahome?"

"It's because you were cold."

"Oh."

They were quiet.

"We're trying to get to Sairou. Do you want to come with us until…"

"Until?"

"Well, until something else happens or you have to go somewhere else."

"I'm just as much on the run as you are. It's not as if I can summon Suzaku or anything. But I don't want to leave Konan."

"Too loyal?"

"I still want to help them. Somehow! I still want to at least make sure my warriors are safe!"

He sighed. "You're still so persistent."

It made her smile to hear him say that, even though she didn't know if it was a compliment or a complaint. For now, she really didn't care about making any plans for what to do next. The stars were just beginning to appear in the dusk sky, and Tamahome was warm. He already knew how she felt, so why not just say it again? "I love you, Tamahome."

"It took these weeks without you finally to figure it out, but I think I love you back."

They sounded like such familiar words. "You mean it?"

He seemed to laugh a bit at himself at first. "I would zone out or just say your name instead of someone else's. I can't fight some feelings after all. Although, I don't know what's supposed to happen. When you'll go home, or if you'll get hurt or captured. So… I guess this probably wouldn't even work out. Between us, I mean."

"Who cares if anything works, Tamahome?" she looked up to him. It was a script she knew too well and wasn't about to let the play continue with the same scenes over and over again. This was, after all, the man she was almost going to sleep with, they man she had kissed so many times, the man who came to her rescue, the man who followed her to her own world, the man she had seen grieve and the man who had made her an enemy before, and yet still the man by her side. "We don't know what's going to happen to any of us, but what if we have a chance to work out? Even if we do get separated, can't we love each other while we're still here together?"

"Love can't conquer all, Miaka," he felt put on the spot again and regretting telling her anything. Of course he should have expected this insistent of a response, and should have known better by now. "I can't control how I feel, but that doesn't mean that we'll be able to survive all this together."

"We can't control how we feel, and might not be able to control all heartbreak, but at least some of it we can!" she said. "If you love me, Tamahome, then just love me. And if I love you, then I'll just love you! Can we quit arguing about this and quit being on again, off again?"

"Just like that? Suddenly we're lovers, you're saying?"

"Well, if we love each other…"

"...Then let's just be in love. I see what you're saying. Somehow that's not as simple as it sounds," he tried to say in an annoyed tone, but when he was using this tone and actually liked what he heard, Tamahome couldn't hide smiles. "I sound like a sap for saying this, but why not? We've lost our homes and and our security. If everything's uncertain, then let's at least have love."

Now, everything she had been through with this wish felt worth it. She needed more patience this time, but in fact, she and Tamahome could still love each other. Even if all else was hopeless, Suzaku must still had been smiling on her. She wrapped her arms around him happily, and he kissed her forehead. From there, they enjoyed their first kiss which he would remember, and one of many Miaka would know.

* * *

Employment. So this is what it felt like to work for someone else instead of just doing your own fishing.

Granted, Chuuei was not getting paid, but he was taken care of and had responsibility. As the castle was beginning to crumble under the Kutou soldiers, his family was trying to make their escape, and in the confusion, he was separated from them. Just when he thought he was sure that he'd be caught and killed by a soldier, a hand grabbed his wrist, and whispered, "come with me."

Nuriko needed someone to run errands for him, give him news, and carry messages while he was in royal hiding and couldn't show his face to anyone. He and a few other members of the court, primarily elderly officials, were in a small house built into a cave roughly an hour away on foot from the capital. Chuuei had taken this responsibility well, and while he wondered about his family, he felt content to return favors to people in this way.

"A letter from His Majesty, Your Highness," he said, and handed over the small note the emperor had been lucky enough to write and pass on to his own secret servants.

"Thank you. But let's quit with the 'your highness' language. That'll give us away if anyone hears," he said. "Call me 'Nuriko' instead."

"Wouldn't that be just as bad while they're looking for the Suzaku warriors?"

"I suppose you're right," he thought, then smiled and winked. "Then call me 'Kourin'."

"Whatever you say."

The prince laughed a little to himself, because somehow it felt strange to be called that after all. Or at least, it felt strange now. "Looks like our little traitor is back at the palace calling shots," he looked over the letter, "and Rokou's a worrywart as usual. At least he's worrying more about the people now instead of only me. I should write him a reply anyway. Have you seen anyone else while you've been out, Chuuei?"

"No one," he frowned. "I'll keep my eyes open."

The prince had also been eager to rejoin the others even if there was nothing they could do. It felt unnatural to be separated, especially by choice!

* * *

"Brother," a smile peaked behind the door. "Here's some dinner. I got your favorite."

Kaika took the plate and saw all the salty slices of pork. It looked delicious, of course, but there was something very impersonal about it. _I miss Shouka's cooking. _

"You miss someone else's cooking, I know," Suboshi sighed and took a seat next to him. While the palace was so busy restructuring itself and adjusting to Nakago's rule, no had bothered to notice an extra person in a remote guest room, especially since he looked just like one of the other inhabitants anyway.

"No, this is great, thanks," he smiled. It was so nice to see his face again. It took him back to a younger time, to his roots. Years of playing together, years of taking care of each other after their village was attacked and their parents killed. Even though it was beyond his memories, this was the person he shared the womb with; this was his blood! "I'm still sorry for leaving you before. All this Suzaku and Seiryuu stuff… it's silly. It would have been better if we had never been warriors at all."

"You can say all that until you meet Lady Yui," he smiled widely. Of course he shared the opinion that Kaika's being a Suzaku warrior was stupid, but was proud of his own status. "They still have the head hunt out of the Suzaku warriors, but I'm sure it won't be too much longer before no one will have a problem with you staying here. You're a Kutou native, after all."

"I guess that's what's most important after all," he said with a lackluster tone. Of course he liked Konan, and missed those he knew there. It was a relief to hear that they still hadn't been found, but that was a part of his life he was done with. He should just forget them now. He wasn't Chiriko, or even Kaika… just Koutuku.

"I know where one of them is," Suboshi said provocatively.

The words had their desired effect, and Kaika snapped out of his thoughts and faced him to hear more.

"I don't know how long this anti-Suzaku stuff is going to last, and even though it shouldn't effect you because you've given it up, Nakago still wouldn't want to trust you if he saw you here."

"What are you saying?"

"If you kill one of them," he handed him the flute, "then it'll prove your loyalty. Especially if you kill the one with the cat."

_Juan!_

He stood up quickly enough to knock the table over with his knees. _He knows where Juan is? How does he know that Juan and I-- no, he saw before that we were closer. But to kill him? How can he ask me to do that? I only wanted to come for him, I don't care what Nakago does to me! But if that would happen, Shunkaku would be shattered. I chose Shunkaku. I'm not a Suzaku warrior anymore, I chose Shunkaku!_

"This is what you chose," he reminded him again. "Are you actually going to stay with me this time? Or do you intend to leave me again when things start getting violent?"

It was horrible how Kaika could feel the hurt in Suboshi's voice, knowing that he was responsible for it. If he couldn't keep up with this decision now, what would happen later when things got more difficult? Konan had already lost- Suzaku had already lost. Kaika would be a fool to put his hope in those things while his own brother- who still forgave him for leaving him to join their enemies, after all this time- was right here, inviting him to a new future.

Future… what about Juan's future? What about Shouka and the baby?

Who knew if they were even alive! In this cut-throat reality of war, who could stand to think about people they would probably never see again in this life? But if he were to murder Juan, how could he stand to see them in the after life? At least he'd still have Shunkaku. Shunkaku was still there for him. Shunkaku…

"I… I'll go. But it has to be quickly," he said. _Before I change my mind… please, let me change my mind. _


	35. Chapter ThirtyThree

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealligator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

It was almost like a honeymoon. Together alone, unsure of where they were going, happy just to have each other around. Though they didn't even dare hold hands while in public, their ogling must have made everyone around them sick.

"How about this hotel, Miaka?"

"Tamahome!"

"That's not what I meant, it's just that it's a cheap place to spend the night!"

Of course, it was only so much like a honeymoon while they were still fearing for their own and their friends' lives. They had decided to go ahead and look for the others while heading back towards and beyond the capital, hoping that Chichiri would pick up on their life force enough to follow them.

"Are you really okay with this?" the priestess asked from the bed to the man trying to sleep on the floor. "I thought you wanted to go with your family to Sairou."

"I think my dad had a feeling that I'd take a while to get back to them. Besides," his voice fell, "this might give me a chance to find Chuuei."

"Mmn." They fell into a worrisome pause, and she broke it by being up just as uncertain of a topic. "I wonder why Chichiri hasn't caught up to us yet. I hope he got a chance to talk to his friend."

"Don't worry too much, I'm sure Chichiri's fine. He and his buddy are probably catching up on old times."

"Heh. You have no idea."

"…When did you say that he was leaving you alone to see a friend?"

"I didn't," she laughed a little.

It was a little strange, being officially 'in love' again. The next morning, it didn't take long for them to reach the capital again. Instead of finding any warriors, they were fortunate enough to have someone else find them.

"Brother!"

Chuuei was indeed alive, and overjoyed to see them and hear what had happened to the rest of the family. After filling them in on where he and Nuriko had been, they agreed that they would continue to look for warriors while having Nuriko keep an eye on palace developments.

"It sounds like a big job you've got yourself into," the older brother said to the younger. "Do your best, and watch out, alright?"

"Of course," he nodded, beaming to have Tamahome's encouragement. With a quick look to Miaka, he added with a quick grin, "you better watch out and do your best, too."

"What is that supposed to mean, you little squirt?" he flushed. No explanation, as Chuuei was already running off to continue his errands.

* * *

They looked around the capital for a few hours, but had missed a very important event at the palace. In the imperial prison cell which the Kutou forces had commandeered, a solider was leading a new inmate in.

Back where they had met before, Hikou had already began roughing Chichiri up, to which Chichiri tried to dodge, and as much as possible, tried to avoid fighting back, both because he didn't want to harm Hikou and because he didn't want to reveal his Suzaku powers. Unfortunately, in their tussle the monk was thrown against the gravel and his pants ripped, revealing a glowing red character on his knee. Knowing his true identity made more of the mystery of how he survived clear to Hikou, so he took him there according to his military instructions and so that he could finish this away from a crowd. Chichiri went willingly, praying that Miaka was safe and would not try to come after him.

"How come you never even told us that you were a Suzaku warrior?" he vented and held his collar with a fist. "Didn't you care enough about us at all to tell us anything like that? Didn't you, Houjun?"

"I didn't know then!" he hand his own hand over Hikou's, holding it just tightly enough to keep him from choking him. "I would have told you both anything. That's not the issue here, Hikou! I want to apologize to you so that you can move on. What I can do to help you?"

"You can't do anything to bring Kouran back. You can't do anything to bring back our old way of life. You couldn't even help summon Suzaku! You can't give me any kind of hope."

"When did you go to Kutou?" he kept eye contact. "What hope did you expect to find there? I've been hoping to find you and looking all over Konan for years."

"You didn't look hard enough. I never left," he breathed. "I had no where else to go during the war, so I joined the local army and tried to fight. There was no hope there, either, so I joined the Kutou forces."

"You traitor!" Chichiri yelled. The sounds of the words out of his mouth felt eerily familiar, like something out of nightmare. No nightmare, however, could compare to some of his memories.

"I admit, I wronged you before by wanting Kouran to myself. What you did was far worse, and I can never forgive you until you pay in blood for what you've done!"

With that said, he raised his other fist, but before letting it go, a young voice stopped him. "That's enough. As an imperial prisoner, he is no longer your responsibility."

The men looked to the entrance of the cell to see Doukun in a government official's garb, authoritatively ordering Hikou to leave. Forcefully, he dropped his hold on Chichiri and spat on him before leaving the cell, and before leaving the jail, gave him an ominous expression that suggested that they weren't done with each other yet. Chichiri's attention turned to another little traitor.

"I'll get you some medical attention," he said. "Please try to keep quiet for now."

"Doukun," he said with a half smile of disbelief, "Nice to see you again na no da."

"My pleasure," he smiled from the other side of the bars. "I don't make many trips down to the jail myself, but please ask for me if you have any questions while you stay here."

"Thanks," he sunk back. "I'm sure I'll take you up on that. How long to plan to keep me here?"

"That will depend on how cooperative you are, whether or not we have to use you to locate other warriors, whether or not you deteriorate in this cell and must be relocated, whether or not an order carries through to have you executed for being a Suzaku warrior and ultimately it depends on Emperor Nakago's decisions. There's certainly no hurry in any of this, though."

"It's strange hear such a calculated, cruel answer like that out of your mouth, da."

"I'm still practicing," he put a hand to his forehead and sighed defeatedly.

"Seriously," he whispered from behind the bars. "How much can you tell me?"

Doukun frowned and looked over both shoulders, and then stepped closer to whisper to him. "I'm not going to make a regular report to Nakago for a few days still, and while I presuppose he's going to order your execution, I'm going to try to convince him to let us keep you captive indefinitely as you might turn out to be useful."

"Well, good luck with that," he sighed and moved away from the bars, lifting a hand to his face to put a mask back on. "I'll take that medicine now if the offer is still there."

* * *

"After you do this, I'll take you to meet Lady Yui! You'll just love her," blathered Suboshi, "just don't think of her that way, alright? I told her before we left that I was going to be gone today, and asked if she wanted anything. She said no, but I'm going to get her something anyway. What do you think she'll want? Jewelry? Flowers?"

"So you'll be flower picking while I'm murdering?" Kaika gave him a flat response as they made their way to Konan. Mitsukake had not actually wound up in his old village, but in one of the most harshly effected villages near the border. Suboshi's attitude quickly changed from happy-go-lucky to defensive.

"You already said you'd do this. It's for the greater good. Besides, this is your responsibility as a Kutou native to atone for abandoning Kutou before." Kaika could tell that while his twin said the world 'Kutou', what he really meant was 'me'. Kaika still didn't care much about Kutou as a whole, especially now that someone like Nakago was running the country. Konan really was so much nicer- or it used to be.

A little bit longer, and he wouldn't have to think about anything like that anymore, and all his ties to Konan or Suzaku would be completely severed. He briefly looked down to the dagger he had taken with him, knowing that if he was going to do this that it would have to be quick so that he wouldn't have a chance to stop himself. It wasn't as if he had never killed anyone before. If he used his flute, he was sure that Juan would find some way to turn his indecisive heart around. Juan probably wouldn't even have to use words. It's not as if he used many anyway…

This was not a good train of thought to stay on if he wanted to remain decisive. Suboshi broke the thought for him by putting a hand out in front of him to quiet him as they jumped in a tree. He pointed down to a mangled little village, and a little hut that a white cat wandered into. The color drained from Kaika's face, and as much as his feet felt too heavy to approach, he swallowed his doubt and swiftly jumped from the tree.

* * *

Before, Mitsukake had barely made it to the fork in the road leading to his village when a couple injured peasants coming up the other road begged for his help. He knew it would be a few days out of his way, but as a doctor, he couldn't find any way to refuse them. A few days turned to weeks, and he had already assisted half the village either by wrapping their wounds with traditional methods, healing the seriously ill with his power, and comforting the families of those whose loved ones had already passed away. The people were grateful and provided him with what food and shelter they could afford, but they never bothered asking where he was headed.

"Well, Tama?" he patted the furry head, "What should we do? Stay here and help more, or try to find our way home?"

Tamaneko didn't have much of an opinion. A quiet companion for a quiet man, he figured, and turned back to the medicinal herbs he was organizing for the villagers to use. He had been feeling more tired lately that he could remember being for a long time, probably due the ordeal of traveling, fighting in a lost war, playing doctor for a doctor-starved area, and simply being lonely.

He worried most about Shouka and the state of their home and her health, and also wondered were his 'little brother' had wound up. Had he been killed in the war when the the situation took a turn for the worst? He tried to have hope, but even when he tried to imagine the sound of his flute, nothing came to him. His imagination was never his strongest suit.

It was starting to remind him of that time after the flood when it felt that everything had been ripped away from him. Except that at that time, Shouka was there to love him, comfort him, and support him. This time, he had a cat. Not that he was one to complain.

In his quietness, he was quickly alerted to the rustle of the hanging straw door. A patient, he thought, and looked up to welcome whoever it was. The visitor was in a black cloak, but the day light from the gaps in the straw showed enough of the features of his face for a few features to stand out.

_Please don't recognize me. Please don't recognize me. Please don't--_

"Kaika!"

It was the most excited and giddy sound Kaika had every heard out of his mouth. It snapped him out of his state of conviction, and he locked eyes with the widely smiling man eagerly getting off the floor to see him better. As he reached full height, his head barely scraped the top of the hut, and the boy only now realized just how intimidating Mitsukake could appear if he wanted to. He was such a gentle giant.

"Juan," he finally broke and felt his voice crack and his eyes start to sting.

"You look like you've been faring well," the doctor continued as he removed the black hood and looked him over. "I'm so relieved."

_Stop making this so hard! _the youth closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth, alarming Mitsukake, who asked if anything had happened. "I'm sorry… Mitsukake. It's…" he side-stepped backwards, his hands trembling as he reached for the dagger under his cloak.

"Mitsukake?" he furrowed his eyebrows. "What's wrong, Kaika?"

"I'm not Kaika," he chocked out forcefully, looking at the floor as his breathing got heavier. "My name is Koutuku. For what I'm about to do, I at least owe you an explanation."

* * *

Suboshi waited impatiently from the tree, intensely watching the hut. He could not hear any raised voices, but wondered what could be taking so long. He meant to do this quickly, didn't he? Should he intrude? No, he was sure that his brother wouldn't want him to interfere while he was putting his past behind him. As his twin, Suboshi would wait eagerly, but trust him.

* * *

Mitsukake couldn't scream, but a strange sound escaped his throat as the air rushed out of his lungs. It took him a moment to understand what had happened. Just a second before, Kaika was standing a step away from him, but was now firmly standing against his chest, with only a blade in between them. Blood was seeping out from where Kaika had pushed the dagger into his torso, and the boy's shoulders lifted with every breath, but otherwise neither one moved.

"My name is really Koutuku. I ran away from Kutou even though I had a twin brother there. Our parents were killed a long time ago, so he was all I had. He was a Seiryuu warrior," he started calmly, but as his explanation continued, he had to grimace more and more as he stared blankly at the floor. "And I was a Suzaku warrior. That's why I came to Konan, where you found me. I really hated life in Kutou."

"…Kai..… Kai.. ka…"

"But he's still my twin brother. He's more important to me than anything the world. More than countries, more than gods… and he asked me to kill you so I could stay with him again."

Mitsukake could only see the back of his head out of the corners of his eyes, and saw it bob slightly. He couldn't have guessed from his speech alone that streams of tears were running down his face.

"I'm so incredibly sorry," his hands shook violently as he let go of the dagger handle and slowly backed away.

"Kai…--" the man tried to choke out, but the ceiling whooshed and turned black as he collapsed, never to see Kaika again.

The boy stood for a moment numbly, looking at his large, still frame on the floor, and the cat frantically pawing at his face. Time was still in his mind; no thoughts flowed.

Yet as soon as they started again, they flooded.

* * *

The boy in the tree was alerted to the sound of a long scream as his twin scrambled backwards out of the hut, his hands drenched in blood. Suboshi quickly jumped down and ran to his side to put his arms around him from behind and hold his hands down as he was putting them to his face to see all the blood. The Seiryuu warrior had to struggle to suppress him, as Kaika was still screaming insensibly and hurriedly trying to back away from the door of the hut.

"Brother!" he whispered in his ear, "You did it, it's over! Calm down. Everything's alright. You're finished. It's over now."

Kaika's screams turned into short wails, and he began to sink, forcing both the boys to the ground on their shins. The wails turned to sobs, and Suboshi rested his face in the crook of the other's neck, still speaking calmly to him. "You can't let this effect you. We're together now, and nothing will ever threaten that. I promised I'll never leave your side. It's alright now."


	36. Chapter ThirtyFour

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealligator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

A few days passed. Pain surged so strongly through the man's body that he couldn't even tell where it was coming from, or if he was actually alive and not in hell. The world seemed black with swirls of deep red, but amidst this all, he felt something cool touch his lips. _This must not be hell, then, _he thought, and tried to see where it was coming from amidst the chaos. _Right. I have eyes. I have to remember how to open them. _

It was struggle, but Mitsukake pried them open. The coolness had already left his lips, but he could at least see who put it there. This face… it was familiar. It was white. Furry. Whiskered.

"Already coming around?" a feminine voice said.

"I thought you were a boy-cat," he mumbled almost unintelligibly.

"What was that?" the voice asked.

_Shouka!_

As a reflex, he started to pull himself up to see where her voice had come from, but a shooting pain forced him to stop before he had even pulled his head very far off the pillow. "Don't move," she ordered him and pressed a hand against his collar bone. Her touch was a smoothness that he thought he imagined at first, and as her face appeared over him, he didn't care whether it was an illusion or not.

"You're alive," he smiled weakly at her, wanting grab her and hold her tightly if only he could get off the floor.

"Almost more than I can say for you," she scolded. "You're lucky that the villagers were already leading me here, saying that their own doctor was going to be leaving soon."

"How fortun-- what were you doing out here? What about the baby?"

"Still kicking," she turned a bit so he could see her wide belly. His hand scampered out from under the blanket to try to reach out and feel it, but another shooting pain prevented him from getting very far. "The baby is asleep right now anyway," she placed his hand back where it more comfortably should be.

"You shouldn't be traveling so late in the pregnancy, or working so hard," he said. "You could induce labor too early."

"I wouldn't mind it being a little early by now," she half-laughed, "and you shouldn't be giving me advice while you're my patient. I'm just glad I made it in time to save _you _this time," she cooed and bent forward as best she could to kiss him on the forehead. "There's so much I want to ask you about. But first, you need to sleep and heal up for me."

* * *

Having no other luck in the dangerous capital besides running into Chuuei, Tamahome and Miaka were already in the countryside, which partly had been turned to rubble after battles were fought. There, they were looking for hints of where the other warriors might be. Periodically, she wrote idle messages to Tasuki, such as "Tamahome and I are heading south. If you're around this area, please come meet with us" and "today Tamahome let me spend a little extra money on lunch so I could get a mushroom dumpling. It was delicious!"

"Doesn't she have anything better to write about?" Kouji's eye twitched as he read it with him.

"To her, there _is_ nothing better," the fanged one sighed. "Are you set?"

"As I'll ever be," the other slung a pouch over his shoulder and they headed towards the window. They swiftly jumped out of it and began running into the forest. They had only gotten a few steps away when a girl called out to ask they where they thought they were going. "Mushrooms!" they danced together in a happy circle. "We're gonna' pick us some mushrooms, yum yum!"

"You look like you've already eaten enough mushrooms!" she called again. The young men paid no attention and darted back into the forest. Another girl joined the first at the window and yelled, "I like shiitake mushrooms, get some of those for me!"

"That was too dang easy," Tasuki had a coy smirk as they ran.

"Yeah, why didn't ya try this in th' first place?" the other asked. Tasuki shushed him and they headed to the main road to try to meet up with Miaka somewhere.

* * *

"These are the mountains where we met him before," she said to Tamahome, "It doesn't even look like the war reached this far. I wonder if Tasuki ever made his way back?"

"We could look around," he offered, then plopped himself lazily out on the grass. "Or we could take a break."

She smiled, and took a seat next to him, smoothing her long skirt out underneath her. Even though it was something a peasant would wear while traveling, she was still happy to wear it if it made her appear any more feminine. That, and she was eager to get rid of the boys clothes once Tamahome expressed his opinion of them. "It's pretty peaceful here," she said and watched the rolling hills. It was later in the year so the sunshine was dull, and a little wind chilled her skin. If it had been summer, they could have enjoyed some shade from the tree they were sitting by, instead Tamahome's body heat seemed more appealing.

He had closed his eyes to take a short nap, but was alerted as he felt his hand being lifted. Sweetly, Miaka was putting it to her face. "It seemed warm."

"Ow--hey! My arm doesn't bend that way, Miaka!"

"Well, sor-ry," she hmphed back and threw it back down to his side. "Nice job ruining the moment."

"It's not my fault, _you're _the one who grabbed me!"

"Only because I wanted your attention a bit!"

"I just wanted a little nap!" he pulled on her own hands to force her to lay down in the grass next to him, where he put his face against hers. "Why don't you just get some rest, too? Here, I'll keep you warm."

"T-Tamahome…" she blushed with an excited little smile. He had closed his eyes again already, but opened them to flash her an up-close smile, asking what she needed. Staying in place, she shook her head 'nothing', then let her head rest against his arm. She still had a few goosebumps in the wind, so Tamahome draped his other arm over her.

For that moment, everything seemed perfect.

"Better watch out where ya' put those hands, Tama, or _I _might be the one feelin' it!"

They both sat up abruptly, looking for the source of the interruption. "Knock knock, whose there? Us," another voice asked and answered himself, "Us who? Us up in the tree, that's who."

They looked simultaneously to see Tasuki and Kouji lounging in the tree, whistle and smiling before jumping down to their level. "Miaka," the fanged one elbowed her, "When did you 'n Tama become an item, huh?"

"Hey, mind your own business," the other Suzaku warrior growled at him.

"Tasuki!" she hugged him happily. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"And I'm happy to finally get back outta there!" he laughed and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. "So if you guys're done here, how about we get movin'?"

"Genrou here is afraid they're gonna catch up to us," explained Kouji.

"They? Whose 'they'?" asked Tamahome, but only a moment too late, as 'they' suddenly surrounded the group on all sides. The fierce-looking, armored women all pointed weapons at them, leaving them with little hope for escape or a fair fight.

"Arrrgh, dammit, Miaka!" Tasuki yelled at her in frustration. "Your stupid mushroom plan didn't work!"

"…what?"

* * *

Mitsukake couldn't remember when he fell asleep, but now that he felt himself stirring, he couldn't remember exactly where the pain was, either. His body just felt weighted to the ground, nothing else. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Shouka turning back around towards him. "Time for another sip of water, you big lug."

He opened his mouth expectantly, but his eyes shot open wider as he saw what she was lowering to his face. "Not that water!"

She was startled as her husband shot back up into a sitting position and grabbed the little clay jar. Any movement that fast would have been sure to have reopen his wounds, but as the blanket fell off of him, she saw that it was as if he had no wounds to begin with. "Juan, your chest!"

"Did you already have me drinking this?" he asked her, seeing as there wasn't as much as he remembered.

"I ran out of the other water I had cleaning your bandages, and when I saw that there, it seemed pure enough to let you drink," she responded and leaned a little closer to observe his torso. "Did the water do this?"

"This was a holy gift from Taiitsukun," he explained, "I didn't know it could work on me, too."

"Then you healed yourself with your own power?"

"That would explained why I feel so exhausted."

"You would be exhausted trying to heal up from that anyway," she smiled, very pleased that she had made that mistake. Seeing that infection was no longer as much of a concern, she relaxed a bit beside him. "They told me that after the war, they found you on the road and you've been here ever since."

"That's true."

"I'm glad I didn't make it to the capital, then," she said. "I originally left the village to volunteer my services as a doctor, but was actually leaving to find my boys."

"You've got us," the doctor motioned to Tama-neko. She frowned angrily that he would so consciously ignore their missing family member. Even if it was painful to recall how he might have fallen in battle, he could at least have the decency to inform her.

"When did you loose sight of Kaika? What happened to him?"

He grimaced as if he was in pain again, and she could see his heart sinking in his face. "Kaika won't be coming home anymore."

Pushing anymore obviously wouldn't do her any good. His answer made Shouka decide that she was probably better off not knowing whatever demise he met, but that didn't stop her from feeling upset.

* * *

Overcome by a crowd of ruthless women, the three men and one young priestess could not resist much as they were taken back to the bandit hideout as captives. The male prisoners were tied up in one room while Miaka was taken to another.

"If only they weren't women, I would fight back and this wouldn't be a problem," grumbed Tamahome, who was just now starting to understand what Tasuki's lifestyle was like. "You've actually been having to put up with such inhumane conditions like this for years?"

"Hey, we keep the place spankin' clean," remarked Kouji.

Tasuki rolled his eyes. "That's the story. Now that my stupid sisters have Miaka back again, she's never gonna hear the end of it."

Indeed, the sisters had many bones to pick with her. They originally loaned their brother out to her on the pretense that she would summon Suzaku and protect Konan, did they not? Now the country was on the brink of ceasing to exist under Kutou rule. To make matters worse, they had noticed the unusual injuries Tasuki was receiving, and overheard him explaining why to Kouji. "What do you think he is, a punching bag?" one of the younger of the sisters yelled and, ironically, threw Miaka a punch in the arm to illustrate.

"That's the not the issue here," the oldest waved her aside. "At least, not the main one. What kind of priestess do you think you turned out to be? Our country is in shambles. We're even scraping for food for ourselves out here, because no one has any reason to travel down south and even if they did, we have the decency not to rob refugees."

"Didn't you promise to protect this land, so that we could just have our little share of the mountain down here to protect on our own? Or was this a giant game to you, because you could just go home to your own country instead of having to stay here to deal with the consequences? I'll bet it's even more of a game when you can't even feel pain!"

"It's not a game to me," she insisted, though she could not argue with her earlier points. "We all tried to summon Suzaku, but--"

"You failed!" she finished for her with her arms spread out in fake accomplishment. "We had hope in you. After you left, we all got excited and looked forward to our brother being a national hero. Our hopes were stomped on, though. You didn't only take away our way of life, but you took away our faith in people."

"You're acting like you're the only people in this country," replied Miaka. "I'm sorry about how things turned out. You have every reason to be mad at me for not being able to summon Suzaku, but I was not trying to summon him just so you all could cloister yourselves away down here with all your treasures and clean underwear!"

The sisters were not pleased. "What do you think this is, a convent? We patrol this mountain to make sure women are kept safe."

"How many women come down here, anyway?" Miaka said back fiercely, then thought better of the comment as she really wasn't sure herself. "Regardless, you haven't even been doing that. While women have been killed and displaced in the rest of the country, you didn't do anything. It was the rest of the people of Konan who left what was comfortable for them and tried to fight the Kutou forces. They're the real heroes here. If you care about Konan so much, why weren't you all there at the battlefield with Tasuki and everyone else, too? What if we could have won if only you all had been there?"

The bandits snarled silently at her, but were struggling to think of a verbal response. The priestess wondered if she had gone a bit too far, but figured she might as well keep going then. Despite having her arms and ankles tied, she carefully stood up and raised her voice more. "If you want to keep yourselves locked up here, then do that. I can't stop you. But I'm not going to just forget everyone I want to protect. My warriors and I are going to keep fighting for Konan, with or with out Suzaku. If we can't do it alone, then I guess eventually Kutou will completely take over. Then they will get all the way down here, and even you all won't be able to stand up to them while you're in staying in here. That might happen… all I know for certain is that it _will _happen if no one does anything. Sorry," she started to ungracefully hop out, "the boys and I are leaving."

She got out to the hall and still felt their contemptuous stares, and half expected them to come running after her or throw something at her. Good thing they knew that would only happen to Tasuki, so maybe that's why they resisted. She wasn't sure what was still going on in the room, but no one came after her still. It was easy enough in the hideout to quickly spot a knife and free herself, and having been to the place before, she didn't have trouble finding the guys who were already standing on each other's backs to try to climb out of a window. "The front door would be easier, you know. The moat's right outside that window."

"The front door it is," Tasuki quickly agreed and they made their way out before the bandits might have changed their minds and come after them after all. Things still seemed safe as they got back to the path, but they were careful not to fall into any traps. As the sky started turning dark about half and hour later, her warrior whispered to her, "what'd you say t' them anyway? This is the first time they aren't comin'."

"I don't remember, it was a lot," she smiled back. _What they said did hurt. I better live up to what I told them. _

"So right now, ya got two Suzaku warriors, a priestess," the other bandit servant counted on his fingers, "and me. Whose next?"

"I guess we're heading back north," pointed the priestess, even though she wasn't exactly sure which direction it was.

"I guess that's all we can do," Tamahome looked a little nervous, "even though that'll be one of the most dangerous areas of the country right now."


	37. Chapter ThirtyFive

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealligator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

_Dear Yui, _

_The situation in Konan is still very dynamic. I still do not know Miaka's whereabouts, but we have recovered one of the warriors, Chichiri. I would like to keep that quiet until we can locate more of the other warriors, or until I can make sure than this will not start any kind of riot. _

_Speaking of riots, please be careful, even in the palace. I'm sure the situation is not completely settled in Kutou's capital, either. _

_I hope you are feeling better since the last letter you wrote. I am sorry this is such a short message, as I am very busy right now overseeing the Konan court and making use of their imperial library. I hope that you are enjoying all this time to study for your exams in your own country. _

_Sincerely, _

_Doukun_

* * *

"What did he write?" Soi smiled over Yui's shoulder, who then placed the paper closer to her chest so that she wouldn't be able to read it.

"Not much, he says that he's busy," replied the priestess. "It's nice that he sends them at all, though. Even Suboshi has been a little secluded and moody lately."

"How is that any different from how he always is?" the new empress replied. "If you'll excuse me, I'll go give Nakago his report now."

The halls were familiar, as she had been living in them for a few years as Nakago's wife and subordinate. They felt far more welcoming when she realized that they belonged to her, though. She still wore her armor, as did Nakago, but she longed for the day that she could adorn herself with clothes more fitting for an empress. Sometimes she had to remind herself to take her position a little more seriously, but it still felt a tad euphoric.

Nakago had not let the power get to his head yet, as he was still busy reorganizing almost the entire country, and he was not quite as satisfied as Soi was. "The report?" he held out a hand for it with out even having to look over his shoulder to acknowledge her presence. The instant it was placed in his palm, he quickly snatched it away to read it over, his tenseness enough to make Soi nervous.

_The situation has not changed much, except for the better. The soldiers and people in the capital have been increasingly cooperative. We have increased the number of troops on the look out for the Suzaku warriors and priestess. The court has been showing very little resistance. _

"A pithy update," he handed it back to her to dispose of. "Almost too good."

"I would expect you to be a bit happier about how well things are going," she cooed, seeing as it was only the two of them, a table, a chair, and a closed door. Perhaps she could take away some of his stress. As she slid her hands down his chest from behind him, she continued close enough to blow air in his ear, "Isn't this what you've always wanted? You've had your revenge against the late emperor and now you have complete control over an empire."

"You're fooling yourself into thinking the situation is perfect," coolly responded he. "You're forgetting that Lady Yui has been reluctant to make any other wishes to aid me."

"Are you afraid that she'll make a wish against you?"

"No. She's merely dangling what I need in front of me."

"What else in this world could you possibly need?" she sharpened her tone.

"Being bound to this world is exactly the problem, Soi," he guided her by the wrists to come around in front of him. "I'm human, and as I am, I wouldn't be able to contend with the gods."

"Gods?" she asked. "Surely, they won't be able to summon Suzaku."

"Whose to say that he won't come uninvited? That is why I wanted her to seal him away completely. Additionally, the Suzaku warriors still have their own powers, and may as well be on their way here right now to try to attack their new emperor all together."

"I wouldn't let them do anything to you!" Soi half-shouted at the suggestion.

"They would be a terrible inconvenience, that's all," he said, almost amused at her quickness to defend him, and also entirely bored by that expected reaction. "It's the gods who are trouble. Kutou is an empire now. Empires expand, but Genbu and Byakko are already granting protection to Hokkan and Sairou. The only way I would be able to spread control over their territory," he spoke quieter, "would be if I were to be able to take them on myself."

"How could you expect to do that?" asked his wife, who was growing more nervous with every idea.

"Lady Yui needs to wish for me to become a god myself."

Soi wasn't sure how to take this. She knew Nakago had an almost unquenchable thirst for power, but would he really go that far? As a Seiryuu warrior, she felt betrayed that he would want such a thing. "Would Seiryuu actually grant that wish?"

"If it's merely for the sake of Kutou's prosperity, what reason would he have to refuse it?"

"It wouldn't be 'merely' about Kutou at that point, if you wanted _all_ the land for yourself to rule!"

"Soi," he eyed her disapprovingly, "are _you _denying this wish?"

How could she deny Nakago anything? She never chose to be a Seiryuu warrior, after all. Fate dealt good cards and bad cards. Of course she felt loyalty to the god she already served, but Nakago was the one she had _chosen _to love and support. If she had to chose between Seiryuu and Nakago, she wouldn't even have to think before making a decision. "Nakago, you already are a god to me," she took his large hand in both of hers and pressed her face against the back of it. "If you want everyone to recognize you that way, then please do as you wish."

"Now if only Lady Yui would feel the same," he replied plainly, having expected this adoring answer the entire time.

* * *

"Suboshi!"

He was almost shocked to hear Yui call for him. Behind him, Yui was walking down the hall towards him. "You've hardly been around. Has something been happening?"

"Lady Yui," he said tiredly, just pleased to have her around.

"Something must have happened. You don't seem nearly as chipper as you were a couple days ago. You said then that you were going to introduce me to someone soon. Was there a falling out about that?"

They went where they would be alone, and Suboshi explained to her that he had a twin brother who happened to be a Suzaku warrior by fate, but had chosen against it. He had recently proved his loyalty to Kutou by killing another one of the warriors, but since then, had been acting strangely.

"He won't eat anything. He won't even cry. He just stays curled up on his bed against a wall and looks depressed," he said, clenching his hands as he thought of his brother's face. "I've been trying to get him to feel better and come celebrate with me that we're together again, and part of a better time and place, but he shrugs off everything I say. Doesn't he love me? Isn't that why he came back at all? And now he's… he's regretting it? He's the one who chose to kill him so he could be with me, and now this is what he's going to do after the fact? I should have just killed that man myself if I knew he was going to act like this!" he sounded angrier. "I just wanted a sign that he wouldn't leave again!"

"He's just shocked, that's all. Wasn't it one of his friends? It sounds like you didn't give him much time to think about it," she offered, somewhat surprised by the request Suboshi had made, but yet not bothered by it. Sometimes characters in books did irrational things, and it wasn't worth the effort to try to get into his head. "You just need to be supportive and help him through this."

"He won't even look straight at me," he growled. "He won't even play his flute, he just holds it all the time. I… I just want my brother back!"

"You have him," she didn't mean to smile, but did anyway. "What's the rush? He'll come around."

"Isn't that something like what you said about your friend, the Priestess of Suzaku?" he retorted, "That she'd eventually show up so you could forget all of this?"

Strangely unbothered, Yui replied, "I still have faith in Miaka."

"What, as a priestess? That's impossible!"

"No. As my friend."

The boy opened his mouth to spout something about how she was fooling herself, but closed it promptly, then decided on something else. "Did you want to go meet Koutuku now anyway? He might like talking with you, who knows."

She agreed, and they began walking towards the fairly uninhabited wing of the palace, but before they got very far into it, the walls shook as the ceiling caved in front of them, and they could hear angry men outside shouting as fire started to fill the space in front of them.

The Kutou palace was under attack.

* * *

Miaka, Tamahome, Tasuki and Kouji had headed into what was one of the most harshly effected areas of the Konan landscape. The violence of war, both at a celestial and purely human level, has torn floodgates apart and ripped limbs from trees, and shards of villages were strewn over stretches of neglected fields. On either side of their path, the land had steep drop offs, and it wasn't clear whether the land was always like this or not. Miaka had never seen wreckage from a tornado, but she was sure that this had to have been at least half as bad as that would be. Could they really expect to find any warriors here? Perhaps it wasn't entirely unrealistic, as the wreckage provided numerous places to hide, but it certainly wasn't a desirable place to spend a lot of time.

"So is it only me and Tama so far?" asked Tasuki, bothered by the eerily silent story the landscape told and eager to think about something else. "The battles must'a really split everybody up."

"Nuriko, last we heard, was in imperial hiding, but he can still find out what is going on inside the palace," replied she, "and I last saw Chichiri about six days ago. I'm getting really worried about why he hasn't found me again," she frowned.

"What was he doing if he didn't join you?"

"He was trying to talk to an old friend of his who he had a serious falling out with before."

"How serious are you talking?"

"They almost killed each other."

"Miaka, that's very serious," Tamahome invited himself into the conversation, annoyance showing all over his face. "And you neglected to mention any of this to me?"

"Ahh… oops?" she laughed nervously.

"Miaka, what if one of them finished the job? Did that not occur to you?"

"No… it didn't," she lowered her head sheepishly.

"Look out!" Kouji yelled and pointed ahead on the path. A squad of four Kutou guards was charging towards them, immediately recognizing Miaka as the priestess that they had been told about or had caught a glimpse of on the battle field before. Tasuki reached behind his back for his tessen and Kouji a sword, while Tamahome charged right in to kick one in the face. Kouji took the one to his right, while Tasuki had to change his footing before running in to help.

"Dammit, stay out of the way or I can't use this!" he yelled to his fellow warrior before turning to a third guard to fry. Naturally, while fighting so close ranged on a cliff and trying not to over crowd each other, they lost slight of the fourth who immediately charged towards Miaka, apparently having missed the memo to capture the priestess rather than skewer her on a spear.

Two people reacted at once to protect her. The first was one who they had not been traveling with at that time. As if opposite of the usual black-clad Kutou spies, this man wore a long white tunic and had one end of it wrapped around his face so that only a peak of his eyes were showing. Who ever it was, he waved a sword in front of the guard to stop him before reaching Miaka. Stunned, Miaka looked carefully at him, and even the white fabric covering his features couldn't hide who he was.

Behind the guard, Tamahome had also reacted, but all too aggressively. In his hurry to rescue his priestess and current love, he overused his celestial power by throwing a large red blast of life force. This effectively killed the attacker, but the force of it also blew the body towards the Miaka and her other rescuer, forcing them off the cliff.

"Miaka!" Tamahome tore away from the other guards, but she had already fallen out of sight.

* * *

Yui was not in such a great situation herself. Suboshi had managed to pull her away from the initial blast and lead her a few feet away from where the angry mob would be entering, but the direction the attack came from was disturbing him. His brother was still over in that direction.

"What's going on?" Yui could barely come to her senses as the confusion swarmed around them. The halls were already filling with smoke and the crackling was too loud to hear her own thoughts. She held his wrist tightly as he looked listlessly back in the direction they had jumped away from.

_My brother is still over there. He needs help, I have to help him, now!_

_But Lady Yui is here, _he quickly looked back down to her scared face. _She's just as defenseless. Who should I…?_

"This way," he said aloud and pulled her up to her feet so she could run along behind him. _Lady Yui is my priestess. She's ultimately the one I have to protect. I love her! _

_Brother, I didn't abandon you. Please save yourself._

* * *

_I've betrayed everyone. _

_I've done the most unthinkable thing to Juan. He was my fellow warrior. We were destined to fight along side each other, not to back stab each other! I've ripped him away from the world, from Shouka, from Miaka and the others. _

_I can never hope to face them again. I'm the backstabber, even if they did want me back I could never find in myself to see them again in this life._

Kaika hugged his knees a bit tighter to his chest. He had killed people before, and knew it was wrong, but the guilt he felt now kept him from functionally normally. It was not so much guilt as shock of what he was capable of. How could he have been so stupid? All he could do now was mentally punish himself.

_I can't even face my own twin brother! I did this to put everything behind me, but I obviously can't do that. I'll never forget them, or what I did! I'm still so attached by these 'Suzaku bonds' Miaka was always talking about. I'll never be able to live happily with him after all, and he'll keep trying to change that. It's futile, Brother. _

_I really never should have left you to begin with, should I?_

_I wish I could just start over. Suzaku, if you could just grant me this one wish, I wish I could just start anew. _

The smashing of wood snapped him out of his thoughts. He jumped at the sound and looked around for where it was coming from, and then he noticed the fire breaking through at the outside facing walls. The smashing noises must have been from in the hall. If he moved fast enough now, he could still find an escape.

How funny, he briefly thought, that he was still clinging to the opportunity to save his own life. What if this was Suzaku granting that wish?

The wood in his ceiling abruptly started to make cracking noises.


	38. Chapter ThirtySix

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealligator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

Fighting off the other three guards did not require much more effort once fire power was involved, and the remaining attacks were easily defeated. The three men quickly ran to the side of the cliff to see if they could catch any glimpse of Miaka, but the evening mist was too thick. "Damn it," Tamahome cursed himself. "How could I have been so stupid as to let that happen?"

"Wherever she is, there's not a scratch on her," offered Tasuki, though he too felt irritated at Tamahome for pushing her over the edge. "I don't feel a thing, so she landed softly. If she landed, anyway. She could still be falling."

"That's really not funny."

"It can't go down that far," Kouji looked down, but the slightly foggy night air made it even harder to tell where the end of the cliff might have been. "There's probably some way to get down safety, or we could just do it the easy way."

"We're not all as lucky as Miaka, you know."

* * *

Miaka, in fact, was very lucky. Her rescuer in white had shielded her from any terrible impact she might have gotten, and he had been able to kick off the sides of boulders enough to break their fall into several smaller spurts. The rescuer was not as lucky, though, because even after a display like that, he had gotten his share of bruises and a twisted ankle. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

"That was amazing, Hotohori."

"So you can tell it's me?" She could tell he was smiling from behind the white garb.

"Why are you wearing that, huh?" she wondered aloud. "Cheap disguise? Or… oh no! It can't be…!"

"What, Miaka?"

"Did something happen to your face?"

"Ha, no," he laughed a bit and unwrapped the top so she could see that his face was still blemish-free. Even with such little light available to see with, he seemed to glow. "Are you relieved?"

"Knowing you, yes," answered she.

"I was wearing it to keep from drawing attention to myself, what with all the bounties being posted on us. I thought it would be better than just leaving my face out in the open."

How typical of him to think of that, she thought. He had even gone so far as to put his hair up into a tight bun on the top of his head. It was the first time she had seen him looking so regal since she had her first adventure in the Universe of the Four Gods. "You didn't go back to Sairou?"

"Of course not," he replied. "I couldn't leave, especially knowing that you'd likely be looking for me. I gathered that everyone had been split up by the time the battles ended."

"You've been missing for two months. Have you been incognito this entire time?"

"Only for most of it."

"And no one noticed the mysterious man covered in white?"

"That's not the issue here, Miaka."

"No, it's not! Don't you know how worried Houki and everyone else in Sairou probably is about you? I had hoped so much that you had gone back… because I didn't want to think that… I didn't want to be worried about you too, Hotohori, but I was!"

He didn't say anything to that immediately, as he noticed her eyes were swelling with tears. Instead, he leaned forward and softly kissed her forehead, then murmured, "I was even more worried about you."

_Oh no! Please don't still be in love with me! _shot through her mind as some blood rushed to her face. _I'm with Tamahome!_

"I should see where we are," he pushed himself to his feet, but hobbled ungracefully as he tried to put weight on his left foot. She was quick to be at his side and support him, insisting that he not push it.

"Tamahome will be here soon, it's alright," she said. "It's okay not to go anywhere just yet."

* * *

The rest of the castle had very quickly been alerted to the attack. Nakago came running, especially when he felt Yui's life force close to where it had occurred. On his way to investigate, he found Suboshi leading her away, so he approached and put a defensive arm around Yui's shoulders before looking up to meet eyes with the youth. "Go to the source and stop it," he commanded, which Suboshi didn't take a moment to argue with before jumping back into the flames. It would have been a simple matter for Nakago to lead her to safety, if only the hall he had taken had not just been hit with a similar attack. With Yui there, there was not much he could do that wouldn't endanger her. Even though it hardly seemed like the appropriate time, he asked her if she was alright.

"Nakago," she looked back fearfully. "Please, get me out of here!"

"I can't," he looked around. "The flames are on both sides."

"Then I'll wish for Seiryuu to make them stop!"

"Don't!" he changed his tone and turned her so that she couldn't look away from him. "Don't waste a wish like that. I'll be able to stop this all if you wish to make me god."

Even amidst the flames, time seemed to stop for a moment in Yui's mind. "A… god?"

"Despite being a celestial warrior, I am merely human. I can't get you out of this unharmed." As he spoke, a few sparks hit his arm, causing him to flinch. "If I am a god, I can rescue you and put a stop to what is causing this. Seiryuu will not do that unless you make him do so, and then it will waste your wishes."

"But… a god… that's…"

"Hurry, Lady Yui," he urged her, still looking around for a way out just in case she wouldn't.

* * *

Behind the start of the flames, Suboshi found a group of about ten men with their arms full of weapons, including items to start large fires. "Hurry and find general Nakago!" they yelled to each other. "Take him down."

"Arson," Suboshi thought aloud as he observed them. That was what had destroyed the way of life he knew when he was still very young. Fire, violent men, hatred, weapons, fire, fire, fire!

The men did not have much time between when they saw him and when they were senselessly torn apart by meteor balls.

* * *

The group who planed this was not limited to those men. A larger group of them was running at the other end of the where the fires had spread, strategically headed for the main palace to take off the new emperor's head.

Said emperor appeared before them, floating in a ball of pale blue light. His form was hard to distinguish at first, as it was radiant even against the flames. They were started to notice that his feet were not touching the ground, and in his arms, Yui hung limply. Like ice, Nakago stared back at them. "What is the meaning of this?

A couple of the men reacted in fright and turned to run, but small balls of light followed them and quickly struck them down, burning their corpses faster than the fire otherwise would have done. Others hesitated, especially having watched the fate their comrades met, but the one in front stood his ground. "We will never have a Hin on the throne!"

With a loud shout, he restored confidence in his remaining comrades, who all charged with him just as loudly and raised swords, axes, picks, or torches. This meant nothing, as they were charging against a mere emperor, but a god. In not so much as a glimpse from Nakago, they were obliterated.

Well then… what next?

Ah, yes. The flames. Those would have to be put out before they caused any more damage. Nakago merely willed it, and the flames smoked themselves out all throughout the castle. Were there any guerrillas still left?

His consciousness floated around the area, allowing him to have a window into each of the other the other rooms and halls. There he found Suboshi's handiwork, as well as Suboshi himself.

He was in a spare room, holding a body that looked much like his own. With his godly knowledge, Nakago understood that this was his twin who was actually a Suzaku warrior, but was supposed to have given that up to stay in Kutou, but had been killed in the attack. Suboshi held his half-crushed body and screamed in anguish, but any human standing where Nakago was would not have been able to hear him clearly from so far away. Testing his godly powers further, he was able to catch glimpses of what Suboshi was thinking.

_I abandoned you after all-- why did you leave me again -- I'll kill them, I'll kill them all! --how could you leave like this, abandon me? -- it's my fault, if only I had come back -- Brother, forgive me!_

No sense in dwelling on an inconsolable youth. Nakago quickly tried to avoid hearing anything else out of him. With out using any godly powers, he looked down to his priestess. Or rather, the priestess of the god he could feel burning within her. She looked completely exhausted, and now that he was coming off the initial rush of godliness, he too was starting to feel like he couldn't stand up, as if he needed more time to digest this power down to something he felt more comfortable using.

* * *

In Konan, Doukun felt a strange chill. It was similar to how it felt when Tomo and Ashitare died, but this made him feel more nervous. More threatened. Was something happening in Kutou?

"Is something wrong?" Rokou asked, having noticed the quick gasp he had a moment earlier. "You look ill."

"I'm alright, thank you," he replied, then put his thoughts back to where they had been before. His research had turned out to be showing him information that he wished wasn't true. For the moment, he had no way to know if it was true or not, but the possibilities it presented made him nervous. "Please summon another messenger. I need to write another letter immediately."

The boy quickly left the room, and when Rokou felt it was safe, he motioned for an inconspicuous servant to come to his side so he could pass him a letter of his own writing. The servant nodded, and dashed out to an assigned meeting place. Chuuei was waiting there, relieved to see that the other servant made it and had still not been discovered. They quickly made the exchange, and Chuuei dutifully ran back to Nuriko's intricate cave just outside the capital.

Nuriko opened the folds as Chuuei caught his breath. "Chichiri!" he yelled as he read, causing all the other people in the cave (mostly elderly officials who might have been prone to heart attacks) to jump. "They've captured Chichiri, and he's being held in the imperial prison," he turned to his servant, "We have to hurry and help!"

"Does the letter say that part?"

"Of course it doesn't," he tossed it over his shoulder. "Let's get looking for Miaka."

"All we know is that they're somewhere east of here," replied the boy, "how would we know where to find them?"

"Well," the prince thought for a moment, "I'll feel them in my gut, how about that?" Of course the elderly officials tried to persuade Nuriko not to leave, but they were wise enough to know when to quit. Thus, the two of them headed out on blind feelings and instincts.

* * *

"It's gotten a lot darker," Miaka pointed out. Tamahome and the others still had not made it down, but she didn't mind staying with Hotohori.

"Indeed," he replied. Fortunately, as a seasoned traveler, he was prepared with a few dry snacks (and enough endurance to let Miaka have some of his share). They stayed against the base of the cliff and looked up at the sky. The night air had cleared up considerably, so they could see glittering stars.

"Oh, there's your constellation," she pointed. "It's funny, even knowing about you all, I've barely taken any time to look at any of the stars."

"You've been busy, no one can blame you," he replied, "too bad neither of us knows how to interpret their arrangement."

"Well, the Tamahome constellation is pretty close. Maybe that means he's almost here."

"Or it could mean he's close in other ways."

She stopped and looked at him, completely red. "How did you know?"

"I didn't actually mean it like that," he said back, also a little flustered to have been so correct. "So then… you love Tamahome, don't you?"

"Yes," she frowned and averted her glance. "I'm sorry… I mean, well… if I have anything to make you feel bad about."

"No, Miaka. You shouldn't apologize for loving anyone."

They paused, and as if he was feeling too awkward, Hotohori stood up and supported himself with the rock face to walk a few steps away from her. His figure was silhouetted by what little moonlight there was. "The truth is, Miaka… I was in love with you from the start."

_I'm sorry, Hotohori. _

"I wanted to protect you not only because you were my priestess, but because I could simply be a man around you, and not just someone who could be the emperor. I had hoped before that I could make you my bride after all this was over."

_I know, and I'm sorry._

"I realize now how selfish it was of me to think that I could try to be the only one to protect you, and also how selfish it would be of me to try to focus on making you love me back when I have an entire… no, two countries to be concerned about. I already decided not to force this on you. I'm simply relieved that you're safe, and that I may fight at your side again. Please… just allow me to love you still."


	39. Chapter ThirtySeven

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealligator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

A chill.

Miaka held her arms as a sickening feeling filled her stomach. She had felt something like this before, but it was as if she had purposefully forgotten what it meant. "Hotohori?" she looked to him quickly with a sense of urgency in her voice.

"I felt it, too," he replied, looking to the ground as he tried to understand it himself. "Something may have happened to one of the other warriors. Tamahome and Tasuki," he looked back up the cliff, "I should go make sure that they are alright."

"You can barely walk, much less climb with your ankle twisted like that," she pulled on his arm as he tried to stand. "I'll go."

"It would be completely irresponsible of me as a warrior to let you do that," replied the foreign prince, who in turn pulled her wrist downward.

"Let me go! If Tamahome or Tasuki is hurt, I need to go help them right away!"

"There's nothing you can do--"

"Let go of her!" another voice bellowed as a dark figure swooped down behind Hotohori and caught his neck in the crook of his arm. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Tamahome!" she beamed at the sound of his voice and his healthy appearance. Easily getting out of Hotohori's hold, she jumped to his side. "You're alright! Where are Tasuki and Kouji?"

"They were right behind me. I thought you were in trouble, so I started moving faster down the cliff, though."

"Oh no, that's just Hotohori in disguise," she motioned to the man still caught in Tamahome's hold. Said warrior turned to give the other a strange expression, which Tamahome returned with a surprised one and released him.

"That wasn't what I meant. Just now… I felt…"

"We know," she frowned. She now remembered exactly what this feeling meant, and she was powerless to know right away what had happened, and to whom.

* * *

The situation in Kutou had calmed down. Everyone responsible for last night's attack had been extinguished by Nakago's godly powers, but the new god needed time to adjust to this sudden change in his entire being. Never had he heard so many voices in his head at once, nor had he felt so shaken with seemingly limitless power. Even for a powerful man like himself, it was a shock, so he had shut himself away while crews worked on fixing the palace.

"Nakago?" his worried wife knocked the door as softly as she could, eager to try to ease his stress.

"Not now, Soi," came the irritated reply. She wasn't sure what pained her more, the harsh tone he used or the state he was in which was causing it.

Yui was not feeling very well herself. After she came to several hours later, it was just before dawn, so she couldn't feel like she could go back to sleep despite how physically exhausted she was. This wish seemed to have sapped her strength even more than the first.

A palace servant had informed her of the rest of the events that followed her wish, including that Suboshi had been found with his deceased twin, whom they had already taken measures to bury. The priestess was filled with pity to hear the news, but didn't feel like she had any energy to feel sad. "Also, a letter was delivered for you about an hour ago. It must be urgent to have been delivered at this time."

_From Doukun, _she observed.

As if the events of the previous day had not been shocking enough to her, she was reduced to a weak, trembling pile on the floor as she read the letter.

* * *

_Dear Yui, _

_I am very startled by what I have found in my research about the nature of priestesses and their ability to summon the gods, and had to send you a warning. Please do not make any more wishes until I can find out if there is any way for you to avoid the usual fate of a priestess. _

_Yui, the only reason you were brought from your world to ours was to summon Seiryuu. I am very happy to have met you and to have been your friend. It pains me to say…_

and then the words faded into a large ink plot.

_My apologies, this is making so apprehensive that I might not be writing clearly. It is so unfair to you and I wish that as a warrior I could protect you from more, even from Seiryuu himself. Perhaps that is not even the Seiryuu warrior side of myself saying this, because how I could I betray my own god who I was destined to serve? I will keep doing everything I can to find out more, but please, absolutely refrain from making any more wishes. _

_The way a god is summoned is thus: _

_He is a heavenly being, and therefore does not have any attachments to the earth. Seiryuu, or any other god from heaven, is not capable of taking any kind of physical presence among mortals based on his own heavenly power alone. That is why the priestess exists: to be a holy vessel to carry the god as he exists on earth. This relationship has limits. She cannot make herself a medium at any time, so that is why she uses sacrificial items such as the Universe of the Four Gods scrolls or the shinzaho. They are set aside as physical mediums between heaven and earth, and the god can only enter a priestess once he uses one of these items to bring himself down to her. After the god leaves the object or objects, their existence or lifespan becomes completely spent due to the intense stress of being a medium for such a mighty being. _

_The priestess, however, has the same problem. She is more powerful than these sacrificial items, but is also used as a sacrifice herself. Each time a wish is made, a part of her is exhausted much like the items were, and that is why a priestess' wishes are limited to three: she simply will not live to make any more, as the power of the heavenly being will ultimately consume her and then be able to use any last traces of her inside of himself in order to stay on earth for as long as he deems necessary. Afterwards, the priestess is completely extinguished. _

_I wish I were not writing this. I wish I could come back to Kutou right away and make Seiryuu return to heaven instead of staying within you! My hands are shaking just thinking of how it must feel. I feel so powerless. I want to see you right away, but I am afraid that I must stay here for now. _

_Yui, I pray that this will not happen to you, or to Miaka. It might not be impossible for you to avoid this, however, as it seems that under special circumstances, a priestess will still be able to live a long, healthy life after completing the summoning process. The books I have been reading do not say anything specific, but I will continue researching this. However, it is not yet impossible for Miaka to summon Suzaku, and this fact makes me nervous._

* * *

By the time Yui reached this point in the letter, she felt washed with numbness and sank forward as she felt as if she would throw up. Seiryuu was going to swallow her up? It was a disgusting thought, a horrible way to die! She never deserved this. When did this book- this game, she thought it was- turn into her doom? What had fated her too this?

Was this why Miaka always tried to steer her way from summoning Seiryuu? If she was so bent on summoning Suzaku though, how could she have known?

The thought reminded her that her eyes were still gliding over the words as she did not pay much attention to Doukun's further technicalities, and even by the ending paragraph she still could not focus as she tried to understand her fate.

* * *

_I am starting to regret the current situation. If Nakago had not been so focused on attaining complete control so quickly, we could have noticed something like this more quickly, and perhaps have been more able to find ways to help you. As things are right now, I find myself questioning Nakago more and more. I was swayed by his logic before, but now all I want is for life in Konan to return to the way it was meant to be. It hurts to watch my birth country under these conditions.  
_

_Yui, please know that I will always be your friend and care about you, whatever might happen next. I am feeling very scared right now, but it is entirely my own fault that I am feeling this way. I suppose that is the result of thinking too much. _

_Again, please do not make any more wishes until you are sure that you will be alright. _

_Good bye._

* * *

Chichiri had made himself quite comfortable in the jail cell. He had figured out that the northeast corner of it with his back partially against the bars was the best place to sleep sitting up, but if he wanted to lay down, he would have to get accustomed to the imprints in his cheek that the pebbles on the floor would make. If they had not have taken his tunic away, perhaps it would have been long enough to tie it from the wall of bars to the bars on the window to make a hammock. Or perhaps while he was being creative, he could use a few of his extra masks to make a pillow.

As he busied himself with pulling off his fake face as usual and letting the one under it take it's place, he did not notice the guard just outside was watching. "Since when did you turn into such a freak?"

"How long have you been there no da?" he jumped at the sound of Hikou's voice, "and not saying anything until now?"

"I have nothing else to say to you," he turned back around indignantly.

"Then you'll just ignore me? You either want to hurt me or tell me more, but you're not doing either, and it's strange."

"Then I've become a stranger to you," he scoffed back, then paused on the masks again. "Though not anywhere as strange as you. Are all the Suzaku warriors like that? No wonder you couldn't summon Suzaku."

"I don't care about that right now, let's just talk about you," the warrior shifted completely so that he was pressed against the bars. "You might not be the only one who is still angry."

"You're angry at me? For what?" the guard also turned to face him fully. "Fighting back? It wasn't _my_ violence that forced Kouran into that!"

"Of course you had every reason to fight back no da. But Kouran was still my girlfriend. After all these years, I've never had a chance to reconcile that with either of you for how you hurt me. What I've done to Kouran is worse what she did to me, forcing her to see me act like that," he head hung shamefully, but he had already let shame get the better of him before. Now was the time to move past that if he wanted any hope of not losing another friend again.

"You wouldn't have gotten the chance to, anyway, what with your trying to kill me!" Hikou shouted back. "And then you didn't even stick around. You left after we found her and you looked hell-bent on throwing yourself into the river."

"I did," he frowned. "I'm sorry I didn't stay with you."

"I would have killed you anyway, I was so angry after that. You got very lucky to have survived at all! And for what? Just to be a Suzaku warrior?"

"I'm alive, and we're together again!" Chichiri shot out a hand to grab Hikou's arm as soon as he leaned close enough. His voice grew tighter as he forced more out of it. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Hikou. But I never could have killed you, no matter how angry I was. You're my best friend, and even if you took another friend of mine away from me, I never could have wanted you to die."

"You still tried! And I _did _almost die. Hell, why didn't you kill me that day? With Kouran and you gone, and with the rest of our village wiped out by the flood, what was I to live for anymore? I don't have any special calling like you. Hell, Houjun," he grabbed the front of Chichiri's shirt and jerked him, "you should have just finished what you started!"

"No!" he hissed angrily at the notion. What Miaka had said before about the alternate reality in which he really had succeeded in killing Hikou had been haunting him. "You're just as lucky as I am to have survived everything I put you through that day. I'm glad- I'm thankful- that I didn't kill you after all. I couldn't save Kouran, but Suzaku did grant me enough of a miracle to save you."

"Miracle?" Hikou spat out mockingly. Although, it was very likely that he should have died that day. By the time the floods were rising down below, his friend had already given him enough serious injuries that had he have been more focused and not randomly throwing rage-possessed punches, he probably would have had the adrenaline to give a fatal blow to his vital spots. That day, Hikou had found himself backing away from him, unable to put in any punches of his own, when the soggy ground gave way beneath him. Life flashed by him as he fell, expecting to hit the waters, but Houjun had grabbed him and was desperately dangling him there.

_His expression had changed completely from what it was seconds before. From rage, to dumbfounded. _Both expressions were frightening memories on a face that usually only smiled. _Weaker people surely would not have been able to hold me up, especially against the current, and after being injured themselves. _

He flinched as he remembered water swooping over him just before the stray piece of wood was forced into his friend's eye. By the time he looked back up, Houjun's grip had been slipping as he screamed in pain and couldn't see anything from behind all the blood. Some of it had dripped on Hikou's wet face as well, given how much there was. And yet, Houjun still held on, and perhaps because of the onset of pain Houjun had enough adrenaline to pull him back up on the ledge. Perhaps that could have been called a miracle.

Chichiri still stared forward wordlessly, but even his own emotions and memories were welling up enough that they were visible through the mask. Oh, how that mask annoyed Hikou. He reached quickly, and then more slowly placed his hand over it. "Just get rid of this stupid thing for a minute."

Chichiri let him pull it away, and underneath was the unsightly flesh leftover from Hikou's 'miracle'. It was repulsive enough to make Hikou want to cringe, but he resisted. He still had many scars leftover from that day, but none quite as prominent. "This doesn't even look like it happened more than a year ago."

"I haven't been very willing to heal," the monk finally frowned and looked away, embarrassed for his appearance. "Nothing like this had happened to you, right?"

"No, you mostly just gave me bruises," he stepped back, a little quieter. He still had the mask in his hand, and as disgusting as he found it, he couldn't find it in himself to drop it. "What in the world have you been doing all this time, anyway?"

Chichiri's chest warmed at the sound of that. It sounded like a question from an old friend.

* * *

"Miaka!"

"What?" she spun around and looked at the path behind her, but then shrugged and looked forward again.

"What's the matter, Miaka?"

"I could have sworn I just heard Nuriko's voice," replied she. They hadn't been moving very fast as Tamahome and Tasuki supported Hotohori on either side, regardless how he insisted that he was fine, or at least that two human crutches were completely unnecessary.

"You did hear me, Miaka!"

All having heard it this time, the group spun around and saw him running up to meet them, with Chuuei not far behind him. As he approached, Kouji quickly bowed with his face to the ground. "Hey, man, sorry for not knowin' you were the prince before. I would'a told the girls to show more respect."

Nuriko paused and looked down at him with a raised eyebrow. "Alright…?"

Tasuki lightly kicked his friend's rump. "Geez, we're already hanging out with the prince of Sairou as it is, and you never bowed t' him."

"Seriously? It's him?" he had a glance at Hotohori, who nodded, and then he switched his attention back to Tasuki. "You never tell me anything! What _else _have you been doin'?"

"Who is this guy again?" Nuriko whispered to Miaka, who would have reminded him, but Nuriko got down to business too quickly, cutting off Tasuki before he could make a come-back remark and Tamahome and his brother before they could greet each other. "It doesn't matter! Chichiri's been taken prisoner at the palace. Come on, let's so help him, Miaka!" he began dragging her away.

"Just wait a second, what did you say is going on?" Tamahome dragged her back by the other hand. "Is he safe for now, or have they already done something to him?"

"As of two days ago, he was still safe," he said, "so now is the time to do a rescue mission before he isn't so safe."

"Then that accounts for five of the seven," Hotohori looked from face to face. Miaka felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, as they still had not figured out who they had felt before.

"We'll have to find the others later," she said authoritatively. _After all these times Chichiri has been able to rescue us, it looks like now we're finally getting a chance to repay him._

* * *

Tamaneko meowed and scratched at the door of the straw hut. Mitsukake stood behind him, putting back on his wristbands and tying a sash around his head.

"Tama looks like he's up to something," Shouka turned over from the floor mat they had been sleeping on. "So do you."

"You need your rest, go back to sleep," he gave her a brief smile before he turned back towards the door.

"Are Miaka and the others around? I'll bet you can feel them."

A pause. Mitsukake was good at using silence to communicate a point, even if he did not mean to.

"Hold on, I'll be ready to leave in a few minutes," she stretched and started to rise, alarming her husband.

"You can't expect to travel any more, not with how much you've already done!"

"Then a little more won't cause any problems. Besides, they're probably close if you're itching so much to go meet them." By now, she was vertical enough to look closely up into his face, and place a hand against his jaw. "I'm not letting you just leave me again. I'm coming with you this time."

He knew he should have argued, but hearing any kind of confession of love and devotion from her still made him giddy.


	40. Chapter ThirtyEight

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealligator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

"Sounds busy."

"Yeah, no da."

It was a long story to tell, so Hikou and Chichiri had already been sitting on the ground for a while, reclining against the bars on either side. "Could I ever meet this 'Taiitsukun' person?"

"You'd regret it."

"She can't be that bad if she went to all that trouble to bring you back from the brink of death."

"She's not, but she's just easy to complain about."

"Your priestess doesn't sound too bad, either."

"She tries very hard."

"Hnn."

The fell quiet, leaving Chichiri to wonder what Hikou's thoughts were. Whether he intended to or not, he wound up letting him in on a few of them.

"Maybe if Kouran had been a bit stronger… you know, if she never took all the blame for everything…"

Now Chichiri replied with 'hnn'.

"Nothing was ever her fault, though. She didn't have anything to do with the flood, and she didn't force us to fight… she begged us to stop. She never even did anything with me, either."

The monk's remaining eye shot wide as he listened. "Da?"

Hikou lowered his glance, enough though they weren't looking at each other anyway. "I forced myself on her, and kissed her… that was it."

"But she's the one who told me," he shook, "that she couldn't be my bride anymore because she did things with you."

"I'm the one who did everything. She took blame for something she didn't even want to do," he calmly confessed. "If she was just a little bit stronger, maybe she wouldn't have felt so guilty."

"Then she never reciprocated," Chichiri was still putting the pieces together, "and I had no reason to think that she had chosen you over me."

"She would never choose me over you. I hurt her by making her feel like she could never again have you. Therefore, no, if it wasn't for how I made it her feel, you would had no reason to be that angry at me. She still loved you completely. Maybe that's part of why I stayed so mad at you, even after you managed to save my life. She would always love you more than me."

Hikou waited for Chichiri to wring his throat or started yelling at him much in the fashion Hikou had yelled earlier. Instead, there was nothing, and then he thought he heard sniffling. Surprised, he looked over his shoulder to see that yes, he was indeed crying, but looked like he was trying to contain himself as much as possible.

"I miss her so much… da…"

It would have felt more gratifying if Chichiri had attacked him again, so he could just go back to being angry at him for his temper. Such an earnest regret, not aimed negatively at himself at all, however, made him feel sick. Especially knowing that it only put more blame on himself.

"Go ahead, Houjun. If you want to kill me, go ahead. After all these years, I wouldn't hold it against you anymore."

"You still think that I would do that?"

The quickness and sharpness of that answer startled Hikou, but not as much as that Chichiri had just as suddenly grasped his hand. "I just got you back. The worst thing that could happen now would be to lose you again. Ever again."

* * *

"It's nice that we're moving a little faster now," Tasuki said aside to Tamahome, "but doesn't it just make ya sick seeing Nuriko carry Hotohori- or any man- like that?"

The prince was easily carrying the other like a man carrying his bride over the threshold, which was a highly unattractive sight to the others both because Hotohori dwarfed Nuriko while he was that far off the ground, and because Nuriko looked entirely too pleased about carrying him. Miaka recognized Hotohori's mortified, exasperated expression as like the one he would have when she first found out about their situation.

"That _is _annoying, though," Tasuki continued, as if to change the subject. "Have you ever noticed that it always feels like we're on the road when we're together, either lookin' for something' or someone' or bein' chased or whatever? We can't have a single damn moment of downtime."

It was an interesting thought, so they all fell quiet enough to think about it to themselves for a moment, so just over the noise of their footsteps, they could hear chortling. It sounded familiar, and yet not. Miaka looked around, and behind, coming from the previous fork in the road, was indeed chortling.

_Mitsukake… giggles?_

"Mitsukake!" she shouted as soon as she realized just how fortunate they were. Luck hadn't completely abandoned her after all! She ran up to him as he wiped away a small happy tear in his eye and the other rushed to greet him as well.

"I'm sorry, Hotohori," he smiled and then kept him mouth shut, his silence implying 'I don't mean to laugh at your situation.'

"I'm glad to see you're doing so well after all this time," said Shouka from the other side of the doctor, were she had been partially hidden.

"Shouka!" Miaka just as cheerfully greeted her, but while grabbing for her hands, her fingers bumped into the woman's belly. "You're huge! You look like you're going to have that baby right here!"

"I'm afraid I'll be getting bigger still," Shouka smiled politely, but Miaka could tell by the strain in her facial muscles that she probably wasn't anymore welcome to comments about her size than any other woman was.

It didn't take much effort for Mitsukake to heal Hotohori's ankle and for them to explain Chichiri's predicament. Soon the now decently large group was heading back towards the capital altogether. "Mitsukake," Miaka whispered to him, now wondering about her last warrior, "did something happen to Kaika?"

He put a hand on her shoulder and nudged for her to keep looking where she was going instead of up at his face. "You probably will not see him anymore, but please don't worry about him. He wouldn't like that, right?"

The sinking feeling returned as she was now completely sure that she had felt him before, but instead of crying about something she couldn't change, she resigned herself to worrying about Chichiri instead and waiting until later to be sad about Kaika. Sometimes, being busy is a comfort, or at least a crutch.

* * *

Suboshi's perfect world had shattered.

Who cares if your god was summoned and your country won. Who cares that your emperor is suddenly a god himself. Who cares that you still have some nasty burns which need to heal. After getting back someone you thought you lost, only to then be sure that you had completely lost them and had to see a dead face to match your own, you could not feel much of anything.

Sans hatred, vengeance, despair, anger, grief, and other such abundant emotions.

Lady Yui. Perhaps she could fill some of that emptiness that those other emotions weren't already filling.

Morosely, he tromped to her door, peeking in and asking her name weakly, and finding her in a fetal position on her bed, not bothering to reply. "Are you sick?"

"I might as well be, if I'm dying anyway."

He chided her, "Don't say things like that."

"I never should have summoned Seiryuu. I should have just gone home."

"Lady Yui," he both whimpered and moaned. He was simply not up to comforting her right now, that was her job for him!

"Maybe this wouldn't have happened to your brother if I hadn't have rushed into things, or done whatever Nakago said! Doing what he's told me hasn't done any good at all!"

"You didn't do anything to my brother!"

"Don't raise your voice like that, Suboshi," she quieted herself. She sat up as he slumped in the door, looking listlessly to the floor at the very mention of that which he had lost. Her eyes darted to the table in front of him, where she had left Doukun's letter. "Suboshi. Do you know anything about what is supposed to happen from here on out?"

"What?" he looked up, taken aback by any mention of the future. Hadn't he just lost the future he envisioned? Who knew what was to happen next?

He studied her expression; it looked calm, but like a forced calm. Her lips were pursed and her partially lidded eyes focused entirely on the letter. He recognized who it was from, and the usually pang of jealousy was quickly replaced by alarm. "Is something serious going on? Lady Yui, something terrible is going to happen, isn't it?"

"Yes," she said firmly, still not having removed her gaze. "It might not be possible, but is there anyway you could help me get to Konan right away?"

* * *

Miaka had stormed imperial palaces before in order to rescue others, but never the palace which she had lived in. One would think that it would be easier, because one would know their way around. Knowing it so well, though, reminds one of how secure they felt there- surely an unbreakable sense of security, right? And yet, it had been so easily infiltrated by Kutou spies and armies before.

_Tamahome seems to know his way in pretty well. I wonder if we could just send him? _she thought. Someone else would be better to ask for advice, though. "Nuriko, where do you think we should get in?"

"I don't know, I've never had to go to the prison cells," he shrugged. "Should we just explore?"

"I wouldn't want to do too much that would risk us getting caught," offered Shouka.

"If everyone just attacks t'gether, wouldn't that be safer than splitin' up?" added Kouji. "Though, uh, the lady probably shouldn't come."

"I agree," Mitsukake gave her a stern look.

"There's not just one lady here, you know," Miaka rolled her eyes. Though what would she actually be able to do? They had to find the--"Wait! I _do _remember where the jail is!"

The others seemed quite surprised at her revelation, hoping she would elaborate. Pleased to have useful experience, she smiled especially at Tamahome. _After all, that was the day we met._

Fortunately, the jail had a entrance partially separate from the rest of the palace, as there was no need in the design for the emperor to have to come close to mingling with the riff-raff. A few guards were near by, but they were not problematic for the warriors to silence.

* * *

By now, Hikou and Houjun had found themselves talking about the way life used to be. The world felt simpler then. In the quiet of the cell, they mourned for their old home… their old friend. Hikou had dropped the mask long ago and it lay in a little lifeless pile several feet away from them (it would prove to be quite a surprise for the next guard on duty there).

The conversation had already switched to another topic as well. "I can't just let you out," Hikou breathed, "but I can cause a distraction for you to escape."

"I can't leave if they're going to punish you later, no da!"

"After all this, you can't just wait here to die. Come on, we'll stage it so that it looks like you hurt me to get out, and then it won't look like I helped you."

"Why can't you just come, too?"

"It would be too noticeable if I went, too."

"That wouldn't be a problem if I still had my tunic, no da," he frowned. Hikou opened his mouth to say something else, but they were both alarmed by the sound of the heavy jail door being forced open. Light flooded in as they gasped that someone might have heard them making plans, and they couldn't immediately recognize the figure in the frame.

"We've come to get you out of here, Chichiri!"

"Miaka!"

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she recognized the guard standing next to Chichiri. He must have been the one who brought her warrior there, Hikou! "Don't hurt Chichiri!" she charged and yelled aggressively. "You're alive and that's what matters, so just let him go!"

"Shush!" he grabbed her as she ran into him with her fists raised. One hand had grabbed her attacking fist and the other had clamped her mouth shut. The sudden entrapment startled her and made her wish she would have thought more before rushing in like a fool. Why couldn't she think like an angel sometimes? The other warriors were also quickly at the door and jerked at the sight of her being caught. "Do you mean to cause a commotion and just announce that you're helping him escape?"

"That's _exactly _what she did," Nuriko planted a palm against his forehead. He and the others were rushing in to her aid, but they paused as Hikou let go and turned back around to Chichiri's cell.

Watching quietly, they were quickly able to tell that he was unlocking it. "Now's your chance. Quick, before all the others come!"

"In this big of a commotion, they're bound to see us leave," the monk replied while stepping out, "so you have to come, too! Not getting any attention doesn't matter now." Hikou stared at him for a moment, as if he didn't understand, so the old friend offered a hand out. "Come with me."

Casting aside all the last strands of hatred he had clung so strongly to, he took his hand and nodded. From then on, their lives would never be separated again.

Chichiri turned his attention back to Miaka. "Some help I was, no da! You've found almost everyone with out me! Plus some other guy."

Tasuki snickered at Kouji's title as Tamahome joined in. "Yeah, and Chuuei is waiting with Shouka out on the street, so let's get out of here."

"We're not gonna take back the palace while we're all here anyway?" argued Tasuki. "What's the point of leaving if we're only going to come back here again and stake our claim?"

"I wouldn't suggest that," another voice joined them. All eyes shot up to entrance, where the figure of a boy stood.


	41. Chapter ThirtyNine

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealligator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

Doukun stepped into the jail quietly, pulling the door partially closed behind him. They could tell now that he was carrying Chichiri's things which had been taken before.

"Doukun," Chichiri looked puzzled at him, "what do you mean to do?"

It didn't seem necessary to explain that he was returning the items to aid them in their escape. "I do not suggest that you try to claim back the palace at this time," he repeated.

"Why the hell should we listen t' you?" snarled Tasuki, who snatched the items out of his grasp. "You dirty little double crosser!"

Doukun's expression fell, but he didn't argue. "I'm very sorry," he bowed, "I could not expect to even ask for your forgiveness. This has all gotten quite out of hand, hasn't it?"

Everyone paused, puzzled by his behavior. It hurt to have them stare so suspiciously, but he sighed and continued, directing his attention on Miaka. "I've been doing research, and I've found some information that will be very beneficial to you. It is not yet impossible to summon Suzaku."

Everyone felt a mix of joy and shock. "Why are you telling us this?" Hotohori finally asked.

"Yeah, whose side are you on, anyway?"

"I've been a bit confused about that myself," he had a weak smile. "I never intended to hurt my own home country by helping the one I was destined to protect. I would feel relieved if you could summon Suzaku to revive Konan. But more so than that…"

Miaka's throat felt tight as she watched his expression sink further. "What is it?"

"Miaka," he said, keeping her full eye contact, "Are you aware of what happens to a priestess after she summons the god and makes her wishes?"

_Yes. Yes, but why should that be important right now?_

"I do," she nodded understandingly and seriously, leaving the others to wonder.

Doukun nodded again, comforted that he would not have to explain that part. "I don't know how much time Yui has left. You might be the only person in this whole world who has any chance of saving her. If summoning Suzaku will help you do that, then by all means… even though that would imply…"

"How many wishes has she made?"

"I was only aware of one," he said, "though I'm feeling nervous about what else may have happened since I've been here. Nakago doesn't seem to be taking everything rationally." His hands started to quiver and his voice sounded less confident as he continued, "I'm feeling very nervous about where his thirst for power might take him next, and what the consequences would be for everyone in Kutou, and in Konan. I hope that he hasn't made Yui do anything…"

"Tell me!" She put a hand out on his shoulders to strike more confidence back into him, "tell me how I can summon Suzaku!"

* * *

Calmness.

It was something Nakago hadn't been accustomed to since he became more than human. There were too many bits of knowledge that he was picking up everywhere which was causing his brain to feel overloaded, and more power than he felt capable of containing.

Now that he had time to adjust, he felt more so that calmness was attainable. What good were these powers, after all, unless he could utilize them freely? But how to use them… what would he like to know?

He allowed his mind to wander, and it eventually found it's way to Konan, to Doukun, to the Suzaku warriors all standing in a jail cell. His mind rested there curiously.

* * *

Doukun had just finished explaining the use of sacrifices used in the summoning ceremonies, and how they were holy objects meant for the gods to attach themselves to in order to descend to earth. "The celestial warriors have also been sanctified for this purpose."

"The warriors?" she widened her eyes at him. "But… they're here to protect me, the priestess. Not to be used like shinzaho…"

"It is not their primary function, of course. But the god can just as easily use them in the ceremony as well. Containing a god, however, is a very temporary state. After being put through such an unconventional attachment of earthly form to holy being, however, no warrior could be expected to survive."

The color drained from her face. "They'd die?"

"The warriors, just like every other part of the summoning," he reiterated, "are purely sacrifices. They are meant to be discarded for the sake of summoning the god at all costs, be it as an object of sacrifice, or more likely, as a protector of the priestess who would dies in battle."

_Interesting, _thought Nakago as he listened. Of course, his own period of being a ready and available sacrifice seemed to have ended.

Ironic that he was a Seiryuu warrior in the first place. The Hin tribe never worshiped Seiryuu, so was having a Hin be a sacrifice just some way to spite them? Nakago hardly felt threatened, but continued listening as Doukun displayed his blatant betrayal.

"It's up to you whether or not want to summon Suzaku, especially knowing all that," the boy frowned and bent forward a bit to look into her face. "But given the situation, there may not be many other alternatives."

"Do it, Miaka!"

She was startled as someone grabbed her hand. To her right, Nuriko stared her seriously in the face. "We have to do it."

"No!" she pulled her wrist away, "I could never do that if it meant one of you had to die! That would be terrible. Never! I won't do it!"

"Miaka--"

"This isn't the time or the place," Doukun spoke up again and pointed to the door. "Please hurry and get away from here and decide." The Suzaku party obeyed the suggestion and instead of running, gathered around Chichiri's tunic. As they sunk into the vortex it created, the Seiryuu warrior caught eyes with Miaka one more time. "Please, help Yui."

"Doukun," she said again, shaking her head to signal she couldn't do it. Still, she could not refuse that request, if only it could be honored in some other way. "I'll help her!"

_A smooth getaway, _Nakago thought and smirked to himself, now very much back in his own room. Apparently, Konan was not under his control as much as he thought, but he didn't feel bothered. After all, getting it back would not be a problem.

Using this all knowing sense seemed to be under control now. What could he try out next? Relocating and making a grand entrance sounded appropriate for the occasion.

* * *

"They're back!" Chuuei pointed down the road he and Shouka had been waiting on. The light subsided and the group of people were spewed out. They eagerly helped each other up and saw that each one was alright, when a bright blue light shot threw the sky.

As it hit the palace, the light burst out like a silent blast of lightning, causing them to shield their eyes. The crashing noise came afterwards, almost startling them more than the light. "What was that?" a couple spurted out, but none could answer.

"Shouldn't we head back in and find out?" Tamahome edged towards the building. "After all, His Highness is still in there."

"But we just got out," replied Hotohori, "aren't we lucky to have just missed whatever it is?"

"I'll go in and find out," offered Chuuei, but he was quickly refused. A few ushered the more curious ones away to go regroup, leaving them all to wonder what the light was and worse still, what it would mean for their future circumstances.

_It feels familiar, _Miaka trembled. _I've felt this kind of nervousness before… this anxiety. There's only one person whose made me feel this scared without even seeing him. _

With a quick look back over her shoulder, she somehow felt certain: _Nakago. But what is he doing here, right now?_

* * *

"Nakago!" the present Seiryuu warrior was just as surprised. It was ironic that he still had not stepped out of the jail himself. The walls were illuminated by the general-turned-god's presence, and pulses of light still kept his hair afloat before he opened his eyes to speak to Doukun.

He couldn't even feel mad; he was above that. Of course he had entrusted Doukun with many important things before, but what did it really matter now? There was no need for him even if he was loyal to Nakago's cause. Still, his reputation would not let him simply ignore that which should have looked wrong to him. The last of the light from his entrance settled, and they merely looked at each other for a moment, Nakago's expression saying something to the effect of 'I already know, and I pity you for having been so stupid.'

It was easy to understand, so Doukun lowered his head in resignation. "I didn't expect to see you here so suddenly, Nakago."

* * *

"To Konan? Why would you want to go there?" snarled Suboshi, holding back his comments about how now was a perfectly idiotic time to try to find the priestess of Suzaku.

"To talk to Doukun," she stood authoritatively. "It's a matter of life and death."

"Whose? He's in charge in Konan. What does it really matter if things are going hay wire there--"

"Mine, Suboshi."

A pause. Lady Yui couldn't possibly be leaving him as well.

"If I make one more wish, then Seiryuu will consume me. I'll be finished. So would Miaka, if she were to make three wishes to Suzaku."

Another, slower, pause.

"That's impossible, Lady Yui. There's no way that could happen."

"It's not?" she asked rhetorically and revealed the inside of her forearm. Light figments of scales were starting to appear, while not entirely noticeable, but highly apparent to anyone who was looking for them. Suboshi jumped back and let out a yelp of surprise, but he just as quickly reached back to hold her arm and thumb the scales to be sure of their existence. It could have just been a trick on his tired, tear-swollen eyes, but his sense of touch was too hard to fool. He felt chilled as he touched them, and it sent a jolt straight through to his hands.

"Don't. Don't make any more wishes!"

"Even if I don't, Seiryuu is still inside of me," she gently coiled her arm back to her chest. "I hardly have any strength right now as it is."

"Then we'll get him out of there!"

"There's no way to do that. You're only a warrior. And Nakago… humph. I hardly think now that he's a god that he has any use for me."

"Nakago has only been using you," he repeated, mostly to himself as a flash of anger showed on his face. "If he hadn't pressured you into either of those other wishes…"

"Like I said, you're only a warrior. Don't think about taking any gods on, silly," he gave him a weakly caustic smirk. "But a god could probably take on another god, if he's willing to take orders. Miaka would do it."

"You want Suzaku to help you?" he said, flabbergasted. He knew it, she _did _want to go to Konan to find her friend! At least her reasoning made more sense now. "Come on. If it'll save you, let's find her right now and make her do it!"

"You would expect me to wish the same fate upon my best friend?" she snatched her hand away from his. "I would never do this to Miaka! I wouldn't have even brought this up if I thought she were doomed! Stupid Miaka. This is what she was warning me about all along. And yet…" the priestess leaned her head back to catch any tears that might have been forming, "she would have just let it happen to her? How selfish of her. If she's going to try to protect me, she should protect herself, too!"

"Then… we're not going to find her?"

"No, we should still try," she looked back with conviction. "I still have a wish left to protect _her, _you know."

* * *

A few more days passed. The people of Konan had quickly heard that the reigning emperor of Kutou dropped by unexpectedly and starting calling the shots directly, but as far as they knew, their Konan emperor was still unharmed. Though it wouldn't be long, they assumed, until he was completely over thrown and that dynasty would end. Their lives were doomed to the long transition of power they would see, and never again would they know peace.

Rokou had officially been taken off the throne and replaced by Nakago, but had been relocated to his own private quarters where he remained heavily guarded.

_Suzaku… _he prayed, then paused before clenching fists tighter and beginning again. _Buddha, this is it! They're merely keeping me alive to slay me in front of a crowd. Konan will cease, and a new era will begin with my death. I'm sure I'm doomed to suffer in my next life in order to atone for all the people this will torment. Buddha, please calm the many spirits which have already suffered from this!_

_Kourin… I'm glad you aren't here to see this. You had hope that I would be a great leader. Well… Big Brother isn't very brave after all. I'd be ashamed to have you see me like this. _

_Has Ryuuen already joined you? Dear Buddha, I hope not. Even if he's still alive somewhere, what hope does he have left?_

_How could he always stand to have such hope that Suzaku would protect our country? If only I could put that much faith in him. It would grant miracles if I could actually believe that he could, wouldn't it, Kourin?_

_Things are going to change very soon. I don't even know in what ways, exactly. Surely, all I can do for now is pray for forgiveness for how weak I've been. If your Big Brother had the chance, I would try harder to actually be the emperor you wanted me to be. That this country wanted me to be. _

_What I must do now is beg forgiveness from those I've allowed to perish._

* * *

Doukun had been kept in Chichiri's former jail cell, with little to no human contact. He and Nakago both fully understood his decision to support Miaka instead of Nakago, so there wasn't much of a struggle. Yui and Suboshi had traveled into Konan secretly, and as soon as Soi heard that Nakago had used his powers to go directly to Konan, she set out to be at his side. After all, he had barely seemed to have any control over what the sudden powers did to him, and she feared what else might have been happening to him because of them.

He, however, was very relaxed. A second throne was his to sit in. No one dared to argue. Because everyone was so afraid of him, changes made themselves happen with out so much as a glance from him. _This _was power.


	42. Chapter Forty

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealligator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

"Miaka?" the feminine warrior knocked again at her door. "It's alright. Please, use me to summon Suzaku."

The group had made it back to Mitsukake's village, which had been relatively unharmed, and neighbors were willing to let the warriors and their friends stay in some of their homes. Nuriko had tried again to insist this was his job as a warrior to be a sacrifice and that Konan needed her to do her job, but as soon as the subject came up she ran to her room and slammed the door behind her, trying to run from the very idea. "I'm not doing that to you, Nuriko!" she shouted with her back against the door. "I won't summon Suzaku if that's the only way left!"

"But we're just going to die anyway at this rate," he argued, his voice indicating that he was frustrated with arguing with her. "It's alright, I won't mind at all if I die if only it'll save everyone else. I'd be happy to."

No response. What a childish silence, he thought, but went ahead and continued in a more natural tone. "I love you, don't you know that? And I'm glad… so glad that you care about me this much. I thought you were so strange, at first. I thought you were annoying and I just wanted you to do your stuff and get out of here. Back then, I guess I didn't even want to think about how much being a Suzaku warrior actually meant to me. Life was already grand.

"You didn't grow on me, Miaka. I'm still annoyed that you're so clumsy, and by how much you stuff yourself silly, and how you can be so carefree when we're supposed to be serious. But," he chuckled, then smiled again with his forehead and palm against the door, "I love you that much more because of all that. I'm so blessed to serve a priestess like you. Not just like you, but completely you."

Except for the wood between them, Nuriko's voice was right against her ear, so the soft sound sent a tickle down her back. "Don't give me a good-bye speech, Nuriko. I'm not going to listen to it because you're not going anywhere."

"Like hell I'm not," he replied. "Whether you do this or not, I'm always going to be watching out for you. Got it?"

Another childish silence. Nuriko let the annoyance go and continued. "I wouldn't be able to watch you do this to just anyone, you know. You're all my favorite people, and even if we're all sacrifices, none of the others deserve to die. Hotohori needs to watch over the people in Sairou, Mitsukake needs to take care of his family, and Tamahome has to keep an eye on you! When did you two become an item, anyway? And you never told me? I would have been overjoyed and it would have made things much easier from the start!"

Ah ha. Now he was sure he heard a stifled snort of laughter. A smile crept to his lips as he imagined her face on the other side. "What I want most in life," he started again, "no, what was I born for all along was to watch over you all and make sure you're all happy. It might be too late for Kaika… but I would feel the most at peace if I could know the rest of you at safe. Please, Miaka. Before anything else happens--"

The door swung open, but Miaka had her face lowered so that her bangs shadowed her eyes. She was frowning. "I'm not doing it, Nuriko. I'm not!"

She pushed past him and ran, however far out she felt she needed to go to avoid him. Any mention of it was making her sick! Even though her eyes told her she was running in relatively brisk weather, the memories swirling around in her head were of a snowy landscape, highlighted with blood, and Nuriko's strained smile.

The strained smile, which knew death was coming, was what made her feel most nauseous. That smile said "this is all because of and for you. I hope you're happy." And with not even a twinge of sarcasm!

In her frenzy, she of course tripped flat on her face and came to a sudden halt. It didn't hurt, but she was still slow to pull herself back up to her knees. All by herself, she could only hear her own loud sobs as she choked them back in quick, deep breaths.

Of course, a rustled footstep made her jump and swerve around to see who it was. "Tamahome!" she shouted, letting a few tears escape. "Why are you always doing that, walking in on me when I want to be alone?"

"Then I should just avoid the girl I love when she's hurting?" he gave her a snared expression, then cocked his head as if it didn't bother him, though that only made it more apparent that it did. "Fine. If that's the way you want it, I'll leave."

"Tamahome!" escaped a whiney voice as she lunged and grasped him tightly from behind, burrowing her face in his back.

"It's not even funny how fast you change your mind," he looked his shoulder at her attempt to seek comfort after all. Her grip loosened as he turned to face her, holding her shoulder from under her arm in one hand, and draping the other down her back to place it on her side. If she was seeking comfort, how could he help but give it to her?

His nose quickly found it's way to the front of her cheek as he pressed his mouth against hers, and she invited his tongue in. They shared that unchaste kiss for a few moments, entirely comfortable. They didn't forget they had more serious things they could be doing, and it bothered both of them, but beyond it being a distraction from those things, they both simply wanted it.

Tamahome, though he did not want to see this be any of his friends' fate, supported Nuriko's decision for Miaka to sacrifice him. She knew his opinion, but he was careful not to force it on her.

* * *

"Damn it. Screw Suzaku," Tasuki was sitting on the ground with his arms planted across his knees. Kouji leaned against the little house behind them, frowning at whatever Tasuki complained about. He didn't feel very sad about the situation directly, but it was obvious how bothered and tense Tasuki had become.

Mitsukake listened from inside, as Shouka sat across from him in her chair. It didn't look like she would be getting up again any time soon, and it didn't look like Mitsukake would be willing to say much about his thoughts on the situation for as long as she would sit.

As soon as they had heard about their last option for the summoning, Hotohori felt a need to volunteer right away, but his more realistic sense of responsibility prevented him from saying anything. Nuriko would open his mouth an instant later, but he wasn't surprised in the least. Surely, every warrior would be willing to do it, wouldn't they? It also came as no surprise to him that Miaka would refuse. _How long will it go on like this, in a stand-still? _he pondered listlessly, unconsciously staring west, though it would be impossible to see Sairou.

Not far off, Hikou and Chichiri were taking a walk by the stream, both feeling chilled to know what had occurred upstream so many years ago. "I like this village," the former soldier said, trying to skip a rock out onto the surface, but failing.

"It's nice, no da. Lucky to have been mostly spared, too."

"Are you going to travel more after she summons Him?"

"_If _she does," he sighed. "I feel just as opposed as anyone else, but it's irritating being this close then just deciding not to do it after all."

"Um…"

Both men turned to see the boy bashfully step out from behind a tree, embarrassed to admit that he might have been eavesdropping. Chuuei's face was tired with worry, but he spoke strongly. "I have a question about that."

The monk smiled. "What is it?"

"Even if Suzaku will never be summoned, will the warriors still be expected to die?"

Chichiri froze for a moment, unable a give him and answer right away. As soon the question had been worded, Chuuei lost his nerve and streams of hot tears gushed down his face.

* * *

"I wish I could just go on holding you like this," Tamahome said softly to the priestess resting her head against this chest. "But we have to think about what we're to do next. Nakago is…"

"Can we go for a little walk, Tamahome?"

She had already turned and started leading him off by the hand, so he followed willinging. Not that he wanted to string her along and force decisions for action into her head, but if he was going to do that anyway, she at least had to not notice as much if it was going to work.

They got further away from the village, and found themselves on another topic. "I don't want lots of kids."

"Why not, Tamahome? Don't you love being in a big family?"

"It's not that. I do love having so many people around."

"Then what is it?"

"Children have to eat, and that gets expensive."

"You're such an a--"

"Kaika!" he stopped abruptly, shocked. "And Yui!"

"Yui?" she spun. By now, the other two had heard Tamahome and noticed them.

"Here they are," the boy said to Yui flatly, giving Tamahome a contemptuous look. The Suzaku warrior quickly took offense to this.

"What's the matter with you-- where have you been?"

"Why should that matter to you?" he advanced. "If it's weren't for the circumstances, I'd be ripping you apart!"

"How in the world could you say that! I should be the one getting angry at you, leaving us like--"

"That's right. You losers were abandoned! Koutuku had no need for you, ever!"

Before Tamahome could yell back another astonished response, Miaka grabbed at his elbow and Yui spoke up. "That's enough, Kishuku. This is Kaika's twin brother, Suboshi. One of the Seiryuu Seven."

"What?" he nearly went limp in surprise.

"My brother is already dead," snarled Suboshi. "No thanks to you scum. Lady Yui, please do what you came for."

"What is it, Yui?" Miaka released Tamahome and skipped up to her.

"I've come to talk with you," Yui said seriously at first, but then couldn't help but break a smile, relieved to finally see her again, and looking so well. Miaka returned the smile and feelings, then advanced and embraced her with her arms wrapped around Yui's shoulders. Yui rested her cheek against the back of her head and held her back, both smiling even wider without any more words, just a common sentiment. As irked as Tamahome and Suboshi were by the presence of their enemies, both refrained from any action to upset the priestesses' reunion.

The girls pulled away and smiled at each other again, but Yui's expression turned serious again. "I've come to ask you to summon Suzaku."

There was no escaping the request after all!

"Yui," her hands slid off of her limply, "I can't do that. The only way would be to-"

"To sacrifice one of your warriors, I know," she pulled the letter out of her pocket without revealing it's contents. "Did you know this all along, too?"

"No, Doukun just told us."

"Doukun told you?" she looked angry at first, but calmed herself down and thought more clearly. "Then he might have had the same idea by telling you. There are some other things you should know, too," Yui now offered the letter to her to look over.

Miaka recognized the meaning of the rest of it well, but it still made her turn a bit pale. "How many wishes have you made?"

"Two," replied the friend, offering out the flesh on her arm. It had grown more apparent scales since she had showed it to Suboshi, and was now alarming to whoever might have seen it. "I'm… really scared, Miaka," she trembled, but still tried to keep from breaking down in front of an audience. Miaka had always admired how Yui could still look so dignified despite how worried she was.

Instead of touching the scales, Miaka took her hand. "I told Doukun I'd help you. I'm not going to let you get eaten up by Seiryuu this time."

"This time," the other priestess repeated in a murmur, only loud enough to Miaka to hear. "You really did know all along that this would happen to me, didn't you?"

Only a nod in response.

Yui closed her eyes understandingly, but continued in just as calmed and hushed of a voice. "Then you also knew this would happen to you, and yet the only thing keeping you from summoning Suzaku is knowing someone else would die?"

"I got myself into this mess," she whispered back, "no, I got _us _into it. I can't just drag everyone else down because of my mistakes."

"I've made a lot of mistakes so far, too, Miaka. Like not trusting you in the first place. Could you ever forgive me?"

"In an instant!" she said loud enough for the warriors to overhear. "Oh, Yui, I'm so sorry this has happened to you!"

"And here I am, asking for the same thing to happen to you!" she partially laughed at herself. "It might not work. We might get swallowed up by these gods anyway!"

Tamahome flinched at the words. "What?" he sputtered, but was ignored.

"But Miaka, we can't just stay here and wait more for me not to make any more wishes. We have lives back in our own world, people we know there, ours exams to take… if we haven't even missed those. Nakago is… he's too powerful now. You're still in danger for as long as you have any chance of being the Priestess of Suzaku. We have to do something, Miaka. And the only thing we can do is get a few wishes out of another god! Even if I use my last wish, I'll be finished."

"But Yui… even if you use it at all!"

"Miaka," she took a firmer tone and forced eye contact, "The gods will not let us save ourselves. But there's two of us. We can use our last wishes to save each other from our fate!"

The world went silent around her. Their wishes _could _be used for the sake of the other, couldn't it? Even if their own will was not strong enough to save themselves like Suzuno's, the Priestess of Byakko, the will of another god would be more than enough. She had saved Yui before like this, but how much better would it be to keep her from being consumed at all?

And Yui wanted to save her last wish to save Miaka. She hadn't actually been very worried about her own fate until now, but perhaps Seiryuu could grant her what Suzaku would not: a long life in Konan, with Tamahome!

_No! How could I think of something so selfish right now? I need to summon Suzaku to save everyone, not to make myself happy! If only- if only there were some other way. I can't kill anyone to save anyone else. That's wrong! I'd feel guilty and mad at myself forever if I--_

"What are you waiting for?" barked Suboshi, tired of all this waiting. He pointed to Tamahome and shouted, "you love your friend, don't you? Don't you? Then hurry up and summon Suzaku and save her! You're the only one who can do it!"

"Don't go pointing your finger at me like I'm getting sacrificed!"

Suboshi paid Tamahome no mind and continued directly to Miaka. "Koutuku would have wanted this way, even if he _did _give up on you. Is refusing to perform your duty any way to honor your own warrior's memory? Don't make me sick!"

Before Miaka could think of anyway to retort, Tamahome joined in, not allowing himself to be brushed to the side anymore. "That's right. As warriors, we all want Suzaku to be summoned, no matter what the cost! Our duty- our entire purpose in life- is simply to live for you! It's alright if you can't. But if you can, please summon Suzaku and save our land. If one of us has to die, then we'll mourn. We might even feel mad at ourselves for the rest of our lives. But all of us would look at it as the right decision. Nuriko," he stopped himself at the name, then felt the knot in his throat, "he would regret it most if you never summoned Suzaku. Can't you honor his wish for his country and for his friends?"

The priestess sunk to a squatting position, hiding her face behind her knees. She whined a bit as she cried, facing a decision she thought she already made.

_Suzaku… _she thought back to the time she met him, _what should I do? This is the only way, isn't it? This is the only way to justify everything I've already put everyone through!_

"Miaka," Yui crouched next to her with a hand on her back. The weight of it was lighter than Miaka expected, probably because of how thinly Yui's strength had already been stretched. "Let's try it."

"Yui," she leaned her head against her quietly for a moment, just appreciating her presence. "It's a good idea."

"You'll summon Suzaku, then?" the other glimmered with hope, and was met with a nod


	43. Chapter FortyOne

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealligator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

Traitor.

Dirty, rotten traitor!

Wasn't a Seiryuu warrior, Suboshi thought, not supposed to help Suzaku warriors? Yet here he was, waltzing into their territory, with the intention of witnessing them summoning their big, stupid bird! How dare he? He knew that this would mean the war was for nothing, because Konan would just get all their land back, and without Nakago back in Kutou, things would just be reduced to chaos again. This is not how things were supposed to be!

But… the real purpose of a Seiryuu warrior was just to protect the Priestess of Seiryuu, correct? And truth be told, if he had to choose between Kutou and Yui, he would quickly choose Yui. Suzaku was her only hope now, he could do nothing else but watch like a hawk to make sure the other priestess saved her.

It also felt like everything he put his late brother through would be a waste. If he was only going to wind up helping the Suzaku warriors anyway, why did he encourage him so much to leave? To go against his friends who he was celestially tied to? Though he wouldn't admit it to himself in his thoughts, he felt entirely sorry in his heart. Perhaps helping the Suzaku warriors in his stead would be the only way to atone for what he had done to Koutuku, so that his death would not be a total waste.

The thought of his twin's life being wasted, without having had fulfilled any purpose, made his hands shake. It might have been in anger, or it might have been at the thought of someone he loved being worthless.

The village Tamahome and Miaka led them to was the one Koutuku had made his home. He obviously must have loved this place. It was quaint, and he could see over a small cliff how the stream fed into a river with clear water. It was chilly by now, but even after the war, the houses seemed cheerful.

While strolling in, the others quickly took notice of him. Chuuei's jaw was the first to drop as he pointed and asked, "Isn't that…?"

"Kaika?" Chichiri spun around to where he was pointing, utterly flabbergasted. His shock was immediately replaced with a wide smile as he bounded over to him to greet him square in the face. "You're alive, na no da!"

"No, he's not," Suboshi wrinkled his nose in disgust as the Suzaku warrior got so close and familiar with him. "I'm his twin."

Miaka also found it a little surprising to have Suboshi join them, but nothing could totally surprise her by now. "Where are your other warriors right now, Yui?" she asked her fellow priestess, "do they know you're here?"

"I only came with Suboshi. Soi left before us to go to Nakago at the palace, but I don't know how much he knows. After all, by now…"

"By now _what_?"

"He's a god," her shoulders sank. "That was my second wish. I don't even know what he's capable of now."

"He is?" Miaka froze. "Yui, does he know any way to get to our world?"

"I've never talked about it with him. He seems more focused on the countries here," she shook her head, not completely understanding Miaka's concern.

"I'll have to stop him. I'll have to do anything to stop him," she became washed over with a new sense of urgency. "He might even know that we're having this conversation right now, and will be coming to stop us! That's… that's probably why he got to the palace so fast, because he knew what was going on there."

"That's where Doukun was," Yui frowned with her teeth clenched. "He told you things, so he must have tried taking action against Nakago himself already. He can't do anything, though, he's just a child! Nakago is a god!"

Miaka tensed thinking of him and the consequences.

"Miaka, is there any way we can save him, too?"

"I don't know, Yui…"

"I thought you knew everything about this world," she grimaced and started to turn red. And here she thought she didn't care about this world or its people. It was definitely a real place, and even if the characters were merely ink on paper, they were alive in a sense she had never bothered to feel until more recent chapters. Even if she was in this book, it meant that she had been reduced someone made of words, but yet everything was entirely real. "I should have tried to find you as soon as I got his letter."

"We'll hurry, Yui. I should summon Suzaku right now--"

"You!"

Everyone jolted as Suboshi shouted. Mitsukake had come just barely into view over the hill. When he initially saw Suboshi his heart leapt, but memory quickly made him reason out who this person really was, and that Kaika was not with him, or anyone. This poor boy was now completely alone, abandoned again by his own twin. Of course he knew that this was a different person and not someone to fill the void in his home, but if it looked like he was peacefully joining the others anyway, why wouldn't it hurt to invite him to--

"Why are you alive? Why?"

Mitsukake didn't have much time to think before the youth had lunged for his throat with his bare hands and he, being so surprised, was knocked to the ground. Apparently that invitation would be no good.

Suboshi beat his head against the dirt. "You should be dead! Is _everything_ my brother went through meaningless? He didn't even kill you, and he still died of his own remorse! You should have died! You should die, so his pain wasn't worthless! Die! Die! Die!"

_Kaika… of course he regretted it. If only I could let him know that I'm alive and well._

"When you were supposed to have died, his spirit went instead! And for what? For what!?" he beat him again, but in a test of raw strength, Mitsukake was still the bigger man, and grabbed his wrists to make him stop.

With a stern look, he replied. "Stop it! I wouldn't have wanted Kaika to go through that either. But if he regretted it, why should you ensure that I die?"

"Shut up!" the boy shook one hand out of his grasp violently and then started to pummel his face repeatedly. "Stop calling him 'Kaika'! That was never his name! He was never yours! Not your 'Kaika', not your 'Chiriko', not your anything! He was my brother, and you took him from me!"

"Suboshi, stop this!" Yui called from the bottom of the hill as the others watched, too startled yet- and still a bit confused- to move into action.

He paid her no attention, but panted heavily with raw anger as he held his fist in the air above the doctor. "I'll avenge him by finishing what he started!"

Mitsukake was a fairly passive man, but he would not sit for this. He sat up with enough force to the throw the boy off of him, but combined that with throwing him forcefully with his arms anyway. But now, Tamahome, Chichiri, and Hikou had made it up the hill to his aid, but it was obvious that he was in no immediate danger as Suboshi has left his weapon down by Yui. Still, it was automatic for his hand to search his body for the meteor balls as soon as he was been sent a few feet away from his opponent, but his hands came back bare.

"My meteor balls," he breathed quickly as his face started to flashed red. Still catching his balance, he stepped backwards. While still preoccupied with his missing weapon, he failed to notice his footing.

This was the cliff he had been looking at earlier. Not particularly high, but it did have a landing spot: the river. His body started to sail towards it, leaving everything he thought was going on several feet above him on solid ground.

Mitsukake also knew very well what waited beneath. Images burned into his memories of people he knew and loved being swept away by flood waters jolted through his body, sending him springing toward the boy and reaching out to grab him. Just like in so many memories, he was too late, and not even close to having caught him.

Just moments before, Suboshi had made up his mind to support Yui for as long as he was able, and now he was being swept off to impending doom. Being a traitor was nothing. He was a failure. Too pathetic to pity.

Mitsukake saw him disappear. A person he had never met before, but seemed so familiar anyway. He slowly curled his outstretched hand back into a fist, and grimaced his bruised and bleeding face tightly in frustration at having not caught him, for having thrown him in the first place. From where they were standing, Chichiri winced, and looked back sadly as Yui ran up to see what was going on. He shook his head at her, and she sank to the ground.

"He fell?" she wobbled in shock. "What an idiot. Suboshi… Suboshi!" she yelled, scrambling to a safe point at the edge of the cliff, trying to look and see if there was anything left of him. "Suboshi, where are… you… why…"

"It's too late," Tamahome pulled her shoulders lightly to guide her away from the edge.

"Idiot. Idiot! You were one of the only people I could trust left!" she yelled again, and shuttered as she did. The weight of the god inside of her seemed to be pulling her down again, forcing her face down into the dirt to suffocate her even though she was physically still held upright by Tamahome.

"Yui, what's…" Miaka caught up as well and immediately noticed her pain. Nearly pushing Tamahome out of the way, she reached around her to support her herself. As soon as she touched her, Miaka felt a chill as she felt scales forming on Yui's skin under her coat and blouse. Would her will not be strong enough to hold her even before making a final wish?

"Nuriko!" she screamed desperately, looking around for him. "Nuriko, now!"

At the sound of the commotion, he came running dutifully. He was followed by Tasuki and Kouji, then Hotohori, who had all sensed the urgency in her voice. Without calling back to her, without hesitation, Nuriko was at her side and reached out for her hand, pulling it off of Yui's other shoulder and holding it supportively. Startled by how quickly he was there, Miaka jumped and then looked back into his face.

He nodded, serious, but completely calm aside from his hurry to get there. His forearm laced over hers was light and feminine as the rest of him, and hardly seemed godlike or capable of containing a god for a moment.

Reading the nervousness on her face, his expression softened, and he gave her a deeply felt smile. The good-bye smile, as Miaka knew it. He lifted her up gently by their handhold to stand next to him, leaving Yui in Tamahome's care. "Go ahead, Miaka."

_Nuriko…_

* * *

Nakago had been calm.

"Are you sure that you're alright?" his worried wife gazed at him.

"I'm perfect, Soi. I'm a god."

"I still can't believe the nerve of that child, blabbing to the Suzaku priestess like that," she grimaced, trying to get him to open up a bit more. Seeing him smile with power was nice and all, but it hardly made her feel relaxed. "After you had trusted him with an entire country, too!"

"Trust isn't something I need. I can do anything I need now."

"Then you don't even trust me?"

The words spilled out more desperately than she thought they would, revealing how she needed Nakago far more than he needed her. Was there nothing she could do for him now?

"It's not a matter a distrust," he replied calmly, but inwardly imagined how he had stepped on a mine. In all his calculations of being all-powerful, he hadn't figured in his own personal accounts. Being loved was just something he assumed Soi would always be groveling to give more than he wanted of, and talking back was not her specialty. For a moment, his stomach turned as he merely entertained the thought of her being angry at him. It was something that simply wasn't supposed to happen.

But what, he was curious- what if she was?

All he had to do was want to read her thoughts, and they rushed into his head: _Nakago, I need you! Am I useless to you? Can you even understand how much I love you? If you don't want me any longer then I'd die right here. Nakago, need me! Love me! Let me do anything for you, please, do not have me be useless to you!_

A relief, but almost sickeningly so. How foolish, he thought of himself, to feel such a strong sudden need to make sure he still had someone's feelings. Respect was simple to force out of people now, but love- however that might be defined- was more difficult to even quantify a need for. "You still have my trust, Soi. Doukun, however," he rose from the throne, "does not."

* * *

He had been quietly staying in the cell. With nothing to read or observe, he could focus on more far off things, such as tracing Yui's life force as best he could. It might have been his imagination, he thought, or just wishful thinking, that it was getting closer, little by little. Even if it was completely in his head, he still found comfort in thinking he felt her presence and that she was still alive.

His entire body tightened as he felt the life force suddenly decrease. _Is something happening to her?_

Before thinking into it more, he was startled as Nakago opened the jail door and descended down the stairs. "Nakago?" he stood immediately to face him, as obviously he hadn't come to see anyone else down there.

"Tell me, Doukun," he said when it was just the two of them who could possibly hear, "What do you think?"

It was familiar to both of them. When Nakago had first sought out the boy, they had a sit-down conversation with no one else around, and after establishing that they were common warriors, but one already had a position in Kutou and the other had never even had a desire to go there. Doukun had found it interesting that Nakago asked for his own thought before doing anything to convince him to go. Ultimately, it was because Nakago used what Doukun was said that he decided to follow his destiny, even though he was apprehensive at first. Was he trying to get Doukun to come back to his cause on his own now?

That would seem uncharacteristic if Nakago, a general never known for forgiveness. Even though Doukun had been very helpful in the past for preventing the summoning of Suzaku and aiding in the summoning of Seiryuu, and even though he got the impression that Nakago might even have enjoyed or valued hearing his ideas, Doukun was well aware that his usefulness was now limited.

Ah ha, Nakago was probably just doing this to taunt him and get him merely to admit that he was wrong, and regardless of what he said, he was probably damned anyway. "I think that I _was _wrong," he said, "because I should have just picked a side and stayed with it."

What a pithy, cheeky answer. "And by that, do you mean the side of Konan?"

"Whichever side, I would have liked to have seen things through better than this, so I that wouldn't have had to switch sides."

"All you've been is a thorn in _my_ side."

The boy's expression changed so that he looked stunned and hurt. "Even before all this?"

"No. You were very helpful and promising, and had ideas more effective and subtle than I would have bothered to think of on my own. It was also a relief to have someone rational among the Seiryuu warriors." But alas, Doukun's expression showed that just like Soi, he needed to be told that he had purpose, and couldn't assure himself of any of his own abilities. Nakago truly was the only person he knew who could satisfy himself without needing someone to praise them for his ideas or bravery or devotion at all times. He knew it all well enough himself. It made sense that he should rule these people if they all needed someone like him this much.

Then again… didn't thinking that only prove how much he actually needed it himself?

"You made a poor choice by trying to aid the enemies," he said, "but despite your efforts, this is only a minor setback for me. The Priestess of Suzaku would never do something like that. You had enough time to observe her to know that her friends are her weakness."

"But that's her strength, too!" he protested, more emotionally. "If it means helping Yui, then I know she'll do it!"

"A priestess is a sacrifice, that cannot be helped," he said. "It is unfortunate for Lady Yui. Even so, did you also tell Miaka in the hope that she would reestablish Konan?"

Ah, perhaps he did. No, he was sure he did, it just wasn't at the center of his thoughts. Doukun inwardly chuckled and congratulated Nakago for reading him so well. What was the point of even having this conversation? "I couldn't abandon my loyalty for my own country after all. Kutou had already been saved from its poor government, and I pray that it will flourish with someone as sharp as you for an emperor. Harming the people of Konan, however," he mustered all the courage he could to say this straight to his face, "was unnecessary and wrong. I'm not as angry with you as I am with myself for going along with it for so long."

"Then I'm fit to be Kutou's emperor, and not Konan's?" he bent down to his eye level with a snide smile. "Whose to say that I don't even deserve to rule Hokkan and Sairou?"

"You couldn't possibly!" he gaped a bit, having had no idea to what extent Nakago had been planning world domination. "You might be a god yourself now in an earthly form, but they already have the eternal protection of their own patron gods!"

"Then what is stopping me from ruling Konan? Suzaku--"

_Alight from the heavens and appear before us now!_

No. No! That had to have been his imagination! His superhuman mind had to have been playing tricks on him! Doukun was also startled to see Nakago look so afraid all of a sudden, looking over her shoulder like someone had just called out to him. "What is it?"

Setting his mind loose again, Nakago traced the voice he heard to a small ledge in a far-off Konan village. Yui was there with Tamahome, and near them Miaka and one of her warriors had just been engulfed in a crimson light. His breath grew heavy as he watched, trying to refuse to believe what they had done. How dare they challenge him by summoning Suzaku!

He turned back sharply and hatefully to Doukun. "Would you feel satisfied to know that they summoned Suzaku after all?"

His cheeks filling his hope and his chest brimming with warmth, Doukun gasped. "She did it!"

"Be comforted that I don't intend to do anything to Lady Yui," said and lifted a hand between him and Doukun, then outstretched his palm. "But we both know what I'm going to do next."

This conversation had come to an abrupt halt, and the emperor was no longer interested in taunting the scholar. His time had come and would quickly be over, just as soon as Nakago willed it. A light burst from his hand, and immediately Doukun could see or feel nothing but it.

_Suzaku… please help Miaka!_


	44. Chapter FortyTwo

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealligator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

_Doukun! _

Yui's entire body shook the instant she felt the shock in her already weak body. Tamahome took notice. "Are you alright?"

"Just now… something bad happened to one of my other warriors…" she looked back desperately.

"I'm sorry," he said, though could actually care less and was more concerned about what was going on inside the red sphere in front of them.

Nuriko's body did not shutter or show any sign of pain, but appeared wholly peaceful when he started emitting the light and Suzaku descended into him. It was only for a brief moment, and then standing before Miaka was the diety himself instead.

"Priestess," he said, his gaze filling her body with heat, "you have called?"

"Again, yes," she said. It was their second meeting, but he was still awesome to her.

He didn't appear very confused by that, but he didn't seem to understand, either, and proceeded to give her directions. Apparently his own wish he had granted had even erased his own memories.

Coupling was not news to her. Though he did not say it, the consequences were not new either. Still, she immediately felt a driving weight into her chest when he entered her, and she mentally shrieked at the pain… the same pain that Yui felt. And Yui was going to make sure she wouldn't be totally consumed by it, just like Miaka would do for her!

As she sunk to the ground, the light started to disappear, leaving only a glow around her. Tamahome and Yui were still watching carefully at her side, and Nuriko laid serenely in front of her, as if he was sleeping. When it looked safe, the other warriors quickly approached, Hotohori being the first to her side. "Miaka! Are you alright?" he touched her shoulder, and was surprised by how hot it was, as well as how she nearly collapsed into him. She seemed exhausted, but otherwise alright, so he then turned to the warrior. Nothing was left in him to react to his touch.

Mitsukake's nose and cheek were still bleeding, but he saw his duty to tend to the body so they would have a proper chance to mourn for him later. Scooping his thin frame up in his arms was strange, having known what this warrior was capable of before. It was like snow, nearly weightless but still chilling. Tasuki merely watched everything with wide eyes, the shock being too much for him to move. Nuriko really had died, didn't he? Miaka had pain he couldn't take away, didn't she? But Suzaku- Suzaku was here, among them, and he had felt his presence! So why did it feel so bitter?

Yui was also eager to get to Miaka's side, to hold her hand and understand the feeling better than any of the other onlookers. "Miaka, are you alright?"

"Yu..Yui…" she opened her eyes from her spot against Hotohori's chest.

"You did it," the friend smiled weakly, "you finally summoned Suzaku. Now go ahead and rest for a little while."

"No, I… I have to save…"

"You have to rest, or you won't be able to stand up to your first wish!"

No, she had done this before and the adrenaline kept her fine. But maybe Yui was right… a nap sounded great right about now. A nap and a large order of french fries.

Nakago had a greater sense of urgency, however, and more so than when Suzaku made his entrance, the ground shook and the light crackled as a beam of it shot down among them, much like they had seen it happen to the palace before.

"Nakago!" Yui was the first to shout before he became visible. _What is he doing here? Shouldn't he be at the palace? _With a nervous glance back to Miaka, she continued, _it's much too soon to fight him! Should I…?_

"Kai--"

"Don't, Yui!" Miaka snapped back into action. "You have to save your wish until this is all over! I'll--"

"You'll do what?" asked Nakago. He ominously raised his hand in her direction, and Chichiri quickly jumped in to create a barrier before a blast was shot at them.

It was a force he had never contended with, but the mere presense of Suzaku behind him made him that much more capable of withstanding it. Wouldn't he still be outmatched, though, by the combined efforts of Nakago's own godly power and Seiryuu-granted power? This felt different, however, like he wasn't even bothering to use his usual celestial power. Was he too good for it, or did he simply just not have it now that he was not human?

Having just finished thinking this, the force became enough for him to drop the barrier and be thrown backwards into the people behind him. "Chichiri! Are you alright?"

"He's strong, no da," he gritted his teeth back up at the priestess, "but even if you do away with his godly powers, he'll still be more powerful with his other powers."

"Then what do I do? Just ask Suzaku to kill him? Can a god do that against another god?"

"I don't know if we want to waste Suzaku's powers if they'd be evenly matched," said Yui, "but if two gods were to gain up on--"

"Don't, Yui! There must be someway to just undo what you did before. I know he's a god, and I can't just expect Suzaku to be the bigger god! There must be some way…"

_But how? What if Nakago even has the advantage because he has his own form instead of being stuck inside someone else? If only there were some way just to make him human again, or at least not to have those powers--_

_Like Suzaku didn't the first time Yui summoned Seiryuu! Suzaku can seal his powers!_

"You've been a thorn in my side, too," Nakago said, and raised his hand again. "Thank you for your efforts in attaining one of the shinzaho, but now you would be better off gone."

"Kaijin!"

No one had heard the wish, so it took everyone by surprise. Nakago shot another blast of light anyway, but just as it was silhouetting everyone's figures, it vanished.

* * *

Soi stumbled momentarily. Had something happened to Nakago?

She was not an empress now, but reverted back to her training as a warrior, such as zipping across the land with inhuman speed. She mustered up anything she could to make her move faster- her desire to get to Nakago right away, or the additional strength from Seiryuu being in her world- anything!

* * *

He was still a god.

By name, in any case. The added sense of what was going on around and away from him, and the power filling his entire being, however… they were still there within him, only they were unreachable.

Damn Priestess of Suzaku. Damn her to a thousand hells.

Miaka was not able to see straight enough to see his fuming expression, but the others clearly did. She wasn't sure if it was just the imagined weight of Suzaku within her dragging her to the ground, or if Hotohori had actually been setting her down. Struggling to look up to him, she saw that he was, in fact, preparing to get up and fight. "Hoto… ho…"

"You did very well," he smiled down to her. "Now that he's merely human again, I will go and fight."

"No!" a new sense of urgency pulsed through her body, "that's how you died! Don't-- he's… Hotohori, don't go!"

"That's right," Tamahome added sharply to him, "you can't afford to lose your life over this. I'll take him down myself."

_How heroic, Kishuku, _his previous general thought sarcastically.

"What the hell do ya' mean, 'by yourself'?" Tasuki barked next to him. Tamahome spun around to see Tasuki brandishing the tessen against his shoulder, and behind him Kouji also drew out his sword. "You're not the only Suzaku warrior around here, you know."

"Nor is he the only one who wants to claim Konan back!"

The female voice surprised all of them, but not as much as the sight of a small female army. Tasuki was the most flabbergasted of all, and the first to make any response. "…Sis!?"

"Glad to see you're not dead yet after all," the one who looked most senior cocked her head to him. Her focus then shifted down to Miaka, who looked like she couldn't focus on what was going on. "Hmph. The way you were talkin' before made it sound like there'd be a whole war waiting for us. What's just one guy gonna do?"

"Go home, would ya? He's not just some absent minded traveler," shouted back the young brother, pointing his tessen at them just as absent mindedly. "You're gonna get your asses burnt off!"

"That would _not_ be pretty," Kouji shut his eyes tightly and made a face.

"Everyone," Miaka smiled weakly from the ground, merely listening to their voices, "I'll stop.. him. Don't worry…"

"Stop it, Miaka!" shushed Yui. "You can't keep this up! Give yourself a break and let the rest of them protect you for a little while! Don't waste that wish yet!"

"Lady Yui, so you've been conspiring against me?"

Of he already knew that already. Yui didn't bother standing, but faced him anyway as he continued. "Haven't I taken care of you all along, and listened to your requests? Wasn't it only days ago that you begged me to save you while the palace was being attacked?"

"You've only been afraid to do anything to me because I've been useful to you," she glared, "If you actually cared about anyone whose done anything for you, you wouldn't have sent the other warriors off to their doom. And Doukun… you did something to Doukun, didn't you?"

"It was the result of his own decisions. I do not desire to harm you, so please get yourself to safety."

This being a storybook, wouldn't the heroic 'No, I won't leave and let you hurt my friend' line be appropriate? It would, if not for the 'even though I'll probably die if I stay here' part. The thought made her shiver and not respond, but she didn't move, either.

"Quit talking and just get out of here already," Tamahome went ahead and took the heroic line for himself, then shot a large life force blast as his adversary. Nakago braced for it and hit it with a small blast of his own Seiryuu-given power, dispersing Tamahome's attack in several directions. The lady bandits screamed a bit as some hurled towards them, and Mitsukake's fellow villagers ran out of their houses as some began to burn.

"Shouka," Mitsukake's face went pale. Tasuki saw this, but unsure whether or not it was too late to do anything, ordered his sisters to make sure the people in the houses were alright. Not only would that be more effective, but it would also keep them somewhat out of the way of the fight, especially if these life force blasts were to continue.

Instead of shooting them, Tamahome headed straight towards Nakago to fight him in close range, first throwing a couple punches that Nakago barely had to block, and throwing a kick directed at his face. Nakago caught his ankle in the air, then twisted the entire leg around to hurl Tamahome into the ground. It would have been quick for him to get up, but an armored boot slammed down onto his chest, pinning him to the ground. "I'm sure you've always wanted to try this," the blond man coolly said to him, "but you don't concern me in the least."

"Rekka Shinen!"

Nakago was pushed back off of Tamahome as he braced himself for the flames. Tamahome turned on his stomach to see the source of the attack. Tasuki stood brazenly, and Chichiri was struggling to get up again behind him. Hotohori then also stepped into his line of view, having left Miaka with Yui. Obviously, this was not just his own fight. "You guys…"

"Get up, Tamahome!" ordered Hotohori, "Nakago's behind you."

He was just in time to jump out of the way of a smaller life force blast, and then from a different angle, he aimed at Nakago again. Nakago was just a few steps away from the edge where Suboshi had fallen, so while it didn't seem like that would be enough to kill Nakago, he could at least get him further away from harming everyone else. How could he try to get him over there without him noticing, especially while his target was Miaka? Tackle him? Would he even survive that himself? What would that matter anyway, just as long as Miaka was safe!

Tamahome yelled and charged, but Nakago caught him with an elbow to the neck, knocking him flat back down against the ground, with his head only inches from the edge. As if this were their cue, Hotohori and the others charged as well, but were simultaneously sent sailing back by simultaneous beams of light. While they tried to get back on their feet, the man faced off against the priestess, just barely sitting upright with the support of her friend. "I might just be willing to show you mercy if you unseal my powers," he said and lifted a hand again. The girls huddled together in fear as he inched closer and continued, "or I could corner you into unsealing them, because if I kill you now, Lady Yui will also end up killed while she's next to you."

"You'd… you'd kill your own priestess?" Tamahome dragged himself back up into a sitting position, still trying to catch his breath. "You're a monster!"

"It's not my intention, but she can still run if she chooses to. Or," he turned his attention back to Miaka, "you could keep her safe by returning them _now._"

"Yui," she whispered, "run."

"No! You can't let him--"

"Run!"

Obviously, neither priestess would budge. Every single onlooker felt their hearts stop for a moment as the light appear in his hand again, and then immediately shoot forward at them.

The light shot out, but crashed against the ground as an even faster light from the sky forced it down. Lightning clouds, but where had they come from? All eyes turned back to the priestesses, where Soi stood in front of them, sweating and panting. "Lady Yui," she said in a quick breath and looked back over her shoulder to her, "I'm sorry. I don't think Nakago meant for this to go so far."

"Soi," Yui's shocked expression softened. "You saved me."

"You _are _my priestess, after all," she gave her a slight bow of the head.

Soi… had acted aside of any orders from Nakago, and stopped his actions? The shock was almost too great for him to understand. Yes, he knew that she was a self-sacrificing person, with great courage and dedication, but she was also simple. Those feelings of hers were meant only for him. Since when did she risk her safety for anyone else, much less go against him? Was she just trying to get his attention?

"Nakago," she looked back to him. "Please stop this. You have already saved Kutou, and taken revenge against those who have wronged you! You still have the power to be a great emperor and make our land flourish for many years. Please don't risk your safety by going after more than you can have."

"I had it already," he glared, "I'm simply getting back what belongs to me. Now step aside."

"I want you to have everything you desire, but you've already attained so much and I don't want you to lose it! You're Kutou's savior already!"

"Step aside, Soi, or you'll face the same fate as Lady Yui by staying with the Suzaku priestess."

The notion of him hurting her felt painful enough in itself. She fell silent and still, but stared back with wide, tearful eyes. It was her own decision, he reminded himself, and this woman's feelings should not prevent him from getting his ultimate power back. She would be an unfortunate loss, of course, but it was her fault. He warned her… if she really loved him and wanted to stay with him, she would have moved.

Nakago's slight apprehension gave Hotohori enough time to charge at him unnoticed, and while his sword did not pierce through the armor, he succeeded in pushing him back several feet. "Tamahome!"

Now was the time for him to push him over to the river below, where Tamahome wouldn't need to hold back quite as much. The two of them fell, but instead of slipping straight into the river, the momentum made them over shoot and fall into some tree branches, then finally hit the ground with a bunch of dead leaves. Neither took long to spring back up to their feet and face off against each other again. Nakago brushed the trail of blood coming from his mouth with the back of his hand, and then started to glow with all his Seiryuu-given power. "This ends here, Kishuku."

"Good going, guys!" Tasuki lifted a hand to pat Hotohori's shoulder as he ran to the edge to jump over and help fight, but the swordsman caught his collar and held him back. "What's the matter with you? Ya just wanna leave 'im alone down there?"

"Watch," he pointed. Tamahome was also glowing to match Nakago, only with the light of Suzaku. Also different from Nakago was that his appearance had changed, fitting the ogre symbol on his forehead. The transformation was just like when he had killed Nakago before in the reality Miaka used to know. "It would be best if we stayed out of his way," Hotohori looked back at Tasuki, "and leant him our powers from here."

The redhead, though eager to get some action himself, agreed and then clasped his hands in prayer. Chichiri saw them and did the same, as did Mitsukake. Hikou and Chuuei had still bene watching, and while they had no warrior power to give, they also prayed, and the hill became quiet, until everyone could hear the shrill sounds of life force blasts and crunching of falling trees not far below them. Soi gasped and finally moved very quickly away from Yui, over to the edge where she could watch.

There were Nakago and Tamahome, fighting so intensely that she could not tell who was winning, or if there would even be a healthy winner by the time the other was finished. "Don't kill him!" she screamed, "He might have been wrong, Kishuku, but if you care anything about your homeland, don't kill him!"

_Kutou… _

That's right, he was fighting for Konan now, but Kutou was his birthplace. He had many disagreements with Nakago as a person, but having spent so much time under his rule in the army, he could tell that he was a capable leader. But he was evil, wasn't he? Didn't wanting power and revenge make him evil?

No, good and evil didn't matter. Tamahome was a Suzaku warrior, and all that mattered was saving Konan and protecting his priestess. "Why did you have to want so much?" Tamahome said as he threw a punch. "Kutou is suffering while you keep setting your sights on bigger things! My village… everyone I knew in the army… what is happening to them while you terrorize the people here?"

"Do you expect the civil wars in Kutou to end as long as a Hin rules them? Nothing will really be orderly until I rule everything."

"Then why didn't you just have Yui pray for peace in the first place? Like a priestess is supposed to!"

This sound traveled all the way up to Miaka's ears. Poor Kutou… they never did get and peace, even after Seiryuu was summoned. They only got more chaos because the emperor was killed, even though he wasn't even doing a good job in the first place!

"What will you do to bring prosperity to Kutou, huh?" Tamahome continued, now yelling over the sound of their attacks, "Are you just going to be a tyrannical emperor, too, and let others suffer as you please?"

For the first time, Nakago's expression didn't only look angry, but also insulted. "Don't ever compare me to that man. Kutou will never be ruled by the likes of that man ever again."

"And neither will Konan!" the other attacked.

_Nakago… does he actually care about Kutou, then? Soi's right. If only he'd just be satisfied with it and stay away from Konan, no one would still be fighting now!_ "Suzaku," she said weakly, but Yui was alerted and listened carefully to her as she tried to make a wish. "Please restore Konan and Kutou…"

Her friend immediately understood and added, "keep them separate but forever peaceful and plentiful."

"…separate but forever peaceful and plentiful…" she repeated, "and grant all of the warriors happiness…"

"…happy with what they have!"

"…happy with what they already have… no more fighting," she finished, then took a deep breath, "Kaijin."

The houses stopped burning. The trees stopping crashing. Everyone had heard the wish, including Nakago and Tamahome. They stood several feet apart from each other, using the trees to support themselves as they looked over their injuries, and then back up at each other. _Does he mean to keep going? _Tamahome wondered as they made eye contact.

_What an anticlimactic wish, _thought Nakago. His heart had not been changed, but he could sense Suzaku's protection resonating around Tamahome, in the land, and even in the tree he was leaning against. That was it: he had lost. Or rather, he recognized that he could no longer contend, and this land would never belong to him unless the last wishes of either of the priestesses were used for something drastic. Not something he should have gotten his hopes up for.

So what had this all been for? He was a god now, and for what? Would he even have the immortality it granted now so that he could rule Kutou forever? It was almost laughable how this wish of Miaka's had spit in his face.

"Nakago," Soi breathed with relief from the ledge.

"Very good, Miaka," Yui breathed against her friend's head. "You've saved everyone. Now please, get some rest before we can finally help each other out."


	45. Chapter FortyThree

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealligator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

"Shouka!"

Mitsukake seemed to fly from the door to where she was standing in the house, and held her tightly. How lucky she had been to have not even been scratched in the fight. Despite how beaten up he was, Tamahome was the next through the door, carrying a very tired priestess, and the others still stood outside with Nuriko's body.

Still outside and behind them was Yui. She was facing Soi, who held her hands and bowed. "Thank you for everything you've done, Lady Yui," she said, "May I ask what you intend to do now?"

"I want to go home," she nearly broke into tears, but only let her voice squeak instead. "What about you?"

"Our countries are at peace now," she replied, then looked over her shoulder to her husband, who stood with his arms folded and face turned away, "and Nakago will be the emperor of Kutou, so we'll live comfortably in palace."

"Is that so," Yui looked up to him with a stern face.

"I know when I'm beaten, you don't need to use a threatening face," he replied. "This would not have been possible if you did not summon Seiryuu. I am grateful."

If he wasn't going to argue, then she wasn't, either. "Thank you for taking care of me. This was an unforgettable experience."

"For as long as you live, Soi and I will still be your warriors," he now approached, and removed his earring to place in her hand. "Keep this."

She didn't expect to be so touched by such an action. Could Nakago have had a sense of sentimentality? "Nakago…"

He merely bowed, then turned to walk away slowly. Soi smiled, then turned back to Yui again. "Then I suppose this is where we say good bye."

* * *

Hours later, Miaka woke up, but still felt the need to stay in bed. Even the impulse to eat was not there. Yui had been amazing to walk around with this pain for so long. Curiously, she looked down her shirt and screamed; there were fuzzy red feathers between her breasts!

Tamahome burst in at the sound of her scream, but she quickly folded her arms around her chest and yelled that she was fine. Not having gotten a glimpse of anything, he walked back out, then turned to Yui. "She's awake."

"I could hear that, thank you," she headed in to talk. Sitting at the end of the bed, they looked at each other and sighed, then laughed a bit. "This was so crazy," said Yui. "I'm still having trouble believing it. I want to wake up and just think that this was all a bad dream."

"I can word my wish for you like that if you want," Miaka smiled, but Yui shook her head.

"Now that you mention it, wording will probably be important," she thought, "do you think that we could wish ourselves back to before our exams start? Or maybe before the police started looking for us?"

"That's right, there are people there who would probably wonder," frowned Miaka. "My mom and my brother… they'd be sad."

"Not for long, we're going back," the other offered. "Did you want to say good bye first?"

"I don't…"

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to say goodbye… to anyone…"

"Are you sure? They'd probably be upset if you didn't."

"I know. Whatever I do, wherever I stay, there will be people who will miss me."

"What are you saying, Miaka? You're not thinking of _staying_, are you?"

"I _want_ to, Yui!" she finally started to cry. "Tamahome… hic… I love Tamahome and never want to leave him again. It'd be fun to have him in our world, but his family is here."

"And your family is in Tokyo. I'm in Tokyo!"

"Oh, Yui!" she buried her face in the other's shoulder. "I wish you had never had to come here… I wish you didn't have to worry about me!"

"Hey, don't make your wish yet!" she pushed her back to look in her face. "You… why did you come here in the first place? What was it about these people who could possibly drive you to such danger?"

"I don't want you to be mad me, Yui," she wiped a few tears. "You're the person I care about more than anyone else in our world."

"But not in this one? You care about Tamahome and the others more than you care about me?"

"I can't say goodbye to them again!" sobbed she. "I'm so sorry, Yui…hic… hic… I love you so much…"

Yui started crying hot tears as well. "Miaka, why are you doing this to me? You expect me to go back alone?"

"Yui, if you were doing everything without me at your side, you'd be going to Jonan where I wouldn't be able to get in anyway. I want the best for you."

"This isn't about high school entrances exams anymore! You… you'd be gone for the rest of my life."

"Yui…"

They embraced again.

* * *

In the other room, the others waited, not sure yet what would become of the girls. Miaka… she probably wouldn't be there much longer with them, would she? All were startled with the door opened, and Miaka held herself weakly in the frame, looking out at them. "Everyone," she frowned nostalgically.

"Miaka!" Tamahome sprang from his seat to go help her stand. "You're not… are you here to say good bye?" She looked back and frowned, but didn't say anything, which frustrated him and made him say more. "Remember when you asked if I would hold onto you if you were leaving our world? I am," he pinned her to his chest.

"And didn't we decide that we'd just love each other because we loved each other, and not stop just because of the circumstances?" she replied. "I'll always love you, Tamahome. I'll love all of you."

"Stop it, Miaka!"

"Are you ready?" Yui asked from behind her in a serious tone. Miaka nodded and pushed her way out of his hold, then back up to stand next to Yui and hold her hand.

"Miaka--" some of the others started to say, but couldn't force their good-byes out before both of the girls' foreheads glowed with characters.

"Suzaku," Miaka started, "bring Yui back to our world, where she'll live a long life. Help her to do well on her exams, find someone she loves someday, and be happy and satisfied forever."

"Seiryuu," frowned Yui, "erase Miaka from our world. From people's memories… so that she may live a long life here, in the Universe of the Four Gods."

Everyone's eyes grew larger, but none could say anything before the fateful word: "Kaijin".

* * *

For a moment, it seemed that the two of them were all alone, floating somewhere in space together, like the very first time the entered the book. "Is that it, Yui?" Miaka asked, "did it work?"

"Or are we dead?"

"Congratulations," a raspy voice bellowed, and then Taiitsukun appeared before them. "Bending the rules worked after all."

"Then… I get to stay in Konan?"

"Yes," the old witch rolled her eyes. "And better yet, the worlds have been saved. I'm proud of you, Miaka. I'm proud of both of you."

Yui wasn't sure who this was, but Miaka's smiling face had to mean something good. Before she could ask any questions, she was being pulled away by some unnamed force. "Miaka!" she reached out for her, panicked.

"Yui!" the other reached back, but they were just out of reach. Yui was going home.

"Miaka! I'll never forget you! Ever!"

* * *

She felt something cool against her cheek. It was the tile floor of the library, and the book was spread out in front of her. "Miaka?" she looked around, but no one was there. She looked back to the book, and closed it carefully. Before getting back off the ground, she pulled the earring from her pocket and put it in her ear, then slid the book into her book bag to escape the library unnoticed. In her hurry, she didn't notice someone in front of her and bumped into them.

"Oh, sorry," he said.

"Keisuke?" she blinked, then tried to quickly think of an excuse before he could ask about his sister.

"Uh… have we met?"

That's right. Miaka didn't exist here anymore. As soon as she got home, she made an excuse that she was going straight to her room to study, which her mother didn't find strange at all, but only mentioned that she was out very late. Eagerly, she opened the book to make sure that her wish had worked.

* * *

Kutou and Konan had come to peace terms, with Nakago and Rokou on either throne. All the violence in Kutou had quieted, and under Nakago's direction, the people began to focus on how to use their new lush land effectively.

"This is so wonderful," Soi lounged in his lap across the throne.

"I still would have preferred to be a god."

"You're still _my _god."

"Who knows if I'm even mortal now or not?"

"Then you'll need heirs just in case," she purred as she rolled over and started nipping at his neck.

* * *

Another kingdom was also in need of heirs. Sairou had a grand celebration in honor of their prince's return and subsequent coronation (though that all occurred after he heard all the advisors lecturing him for being gone so long). Houki more than anyone had been eager to hear about the rest of his adventures, which he explained he detail, starting from when he met the first of the other warriors, as he hadn't gotten a chance to cover everything when he made a visit months earlier. The tale ended with the priestesses wishes.

"How happy for them," she said, "Tokaki and Subaru would have been proud. I'm so sorry for your other losses."

"It's alright, we had time to mourn afterward," he said, thinking back.

Something else seemed bittersweet about his tale. "The priestess as well… It seems that you'll miss her most."

"She said she'll come to visit, of course." He could try to hide it, but could tell that she knew his feelings all along. "I'm alright, Houki. I already knew what I couldn't have long ago."

"We're quite a sorry pair, aren't we?" she laughed a little, just to try to lighten the mood.

"When we're ready," he continued, "we could both have a second love someday."

"Yes," she smiled more genuinely, "someday soon."

* * *

Rokou and his trusted ministers had returned to their functions at the palace, much to the joy of the people of Konan. Their first order of business, however, was to hold a memorial for the prince and start a period not only to mourn for him, but to honor his sacrifice. There was also a smaller ceremony held for a more controversial hero whose remains were found in the jail. During the somber ritual for Nuriko, the emperor did his best to be dignified as he lit the incense. He was doing a far more convincing job now than he had ever managed to do before.

"Your Highness… if you would like, you could use this time to retreat and let us handle official duties for a while," one advisor whispered to him.

"I'm alright. I'll stay and perform my duties to my country," he said. "I know that I've been a spineless emperor, but I resolve to honor my siblings' memories by being a better leader here on forth, to protect the peace and happiness of my people."

* * *

Happiness was certainly blossoming across Konan. Shouka had a reasonably normal labor, and was on her second day of recovering. "I know we've been busy," she said to her husband while fondly watching the baby fill his cheeks with her milk, "but our son needs a name."

The doctor sighed in thought, then said, "I don't think Tama the Second will work." The cat hissed as if to say that they weren't even done with the first. As the baby detached himself from his mother, Shouka handed him over to Mitsukake to cuddle. He thumbed the dark hair around the baby's ears, and then sighed again. "Koutuku."

Shouka raised her eyebrows. "Where did you get that name?"

He paid her no mind and lifted his son to his face. "Hello, Koutuku."

* * *

"Dear, look!"

"He looks exactly like our son!"

Suboshi groaned, barely feeling able to move his head. Where was this place? Was the sun always that bright? The figures of a man and a woman leaned over him with hope-filled faces. Did he know these people? They seemed to recognize him. "…Mother?"

The woman beamed at the sound of it. "Hurry and get him home, I'll start a bath."

"I'm thirsty." His head spun as he felt himself being lifted and carried in another direction.

"Just hold on. We'll get you some special juice in a moment," the man smiled.

* * *

"Hey! Don't you recognize me?"

"Hmm… nope. Now fork over the bag and I'll let you loose."

"It's me, Hikou! Houjun… Chichiri's friend, remember? We were traveling together just now."

"Chichiri, huh? Well, I don't see 'im," the bandit smiled from under the net that dangled from the tree. A very successful trap, indeed.

"I just lost sight of him, now let me go so I can find him!"

"Ha ha ha, sucker! Do you know how many guys have tried to the pull the 'oh, but we're old buddies, remember? I'm the emperor's brother!' routine?"

"Hey, Genrou, he _does _look pretty familiar," the fellow bandit pointed cautiously. "Didn't we see 'im in jail?"

"I was the guard!"

"Ya were? Good, then _stay_ there!"

Hikou was growing even more frustrated, but then a high voice yelled and monk appeared out of no where directly in front of the first bandit. "Tasuki!"

Tasuki screamed and jumped back several feet. "Geez, Chichiri, what were ya' tryin' t' do, gimme a heart attack?"

"So you're a bandit now, no da?"

He smirked and regained his composure. "Ya got that right. Kouji and the girls and I talked some stuff over, and we're bringin' more guys into the group. Turns out some of the girls wanted to do their own laundry after all."

"It's like a party there every night," Kouji grinned next to him. "Girls and booze, this is the life!"

"What about any new loot?"

"Ahh, actually, this the first guy we've caught for a while," he pointed backup to Hikou. "I think the noise is scarin' everybody else off."

"Can I get down, now?"

"I'm glad you were easy to find," Chichiri continued, "because I found a way to break off the shadow double spell. Are you intereste--"

"Hell, yes!" he gave him a huge fanged smile. "Ya' know how tired I'm getting of all these burned fingers?"

* * *

"Oops," Miaka frowned, and held up the pan with some unrecognizable concoction blackened against it. "Looks like I can't make a surprise dinner for your family tonight after all."

"Praise Suzaku."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Tamahome waved his arms back at her. "It's fine, they'll probably already have made something before we get there anyway."

Miaka had been practicing cooking recently, but it wasn't going very well, and Tamahome was starting to dread any eating portion of the rest of his life. They had found a modest house for Miaka to stay in, not far off from where Tamahome's family had moved. It wasn't anything fancy, but certainly a very pleasant, roomy place. The children squealed every time she came to visit, and today they were finally ready to make an announcement.

"It took you long enough," Mr. Sho said in reply, as the girls hopped around in excitement about getting a new sister (officially). Yuiren had already prepared a gift for such and occasion, and eagerly placed it around Miaka's neck: an acorn necklace meant for a new bride.

"Thank you, Yuiren. I'll cherish it forever.

* * *

**Author Notes: **The end!! ...maybe. If you've read the whole story by now, you should know that I like to throw curveballs.Appa


	46. Epilouge

**Author Notes:** This is a work of fiction, written by Appaku and Alicia (alithealligator). Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase.

* * *

Several months passed in Tokyo. Yui had been growing out her hair, and it was slightly symbolic of other changes she was allowing to happen in her life. The chance encounter with Keisuke made him recognize her sometime later when she was being hassled by some rowdy men on a train. He tried to step in and help, but ultimately it was his friend Tetsuya who had been the hero. He wanted to make sure she was alright afterwards and walked her home, then checked up on her a few days later, and it wasn't long until they started dating.

"I've been meaning to ask you," he said one afternoon over a parfait. "What's the deal with the earring? Are you missing the other one?"

"It's a long story," she smiled. "Maybe I'll tell you sometime."

"Why not now?"

"Because it's long."

"I'd listen," he smiled and peered over his sunglasses at her. "Or do you have a lot of homework to get to?"

"I do. Jonan is a lot of work."

"What did you expect from the best high school in the area? I'm proud of you for doing so well, especially while being the secretary for the student council when you're only a freshman!"

"And I'd be a little prouder of you if you only studied a little harder at the university!" she teased.

"Hey, books are expensive!" he jokingly defended himself, "and so are cars!"

She chuckled and bit and planted her forehead in her palm. "You're no Tamahome, that's for sure."

"Tama-what?"

"Nothing."

"At least I'm doing better than Keisuke. He flunked, but thinks he found his 'new calling'," he emphasized sarcastically. "He's training for a job teaching basketball to high school girls over at Yotsubadai."

"At least he has a plan. How about you?"

"Ahh… well… uh… there's always corporate jobs for business majors, right?"

She rolled her eyes playfully and then excused herself to do homework soon after. Back in her room, she pulled out the book and glanced over the pages again. Three years had already passed there since she left, but there hadn't been much that was eventful to read (she had skipped over the long description of the Priestess of Suzaku's wedding night).

"The priestess of Suzaku was making a visit to her old friend, the doctor," she read, "whose son Koutuku was a headstrong, bustling child. The priestess laughed as he argued and had a tantrum, then casually mentioned the news she heard about Sairou some time before.

"'Hotohori and Houki had a son, too, didn't they?' the doctor replied. 'Yes, his name is Boushin,' was her answer. Both also discussed that it was a relief the emperor of Konan had also finally taken one of the harem members to be his wife, but there was no word about heirs as of yet. 'While we're on this topic, how are you fairing?'

"'Just fine! Everyone has been making bets- the bandits are all divided about it- but Tamahome and I think it's a girl.'"

_Since when is Miaka pregnant? _Yui flipped back a few pages to see if she had missed anything, but then decided that perhaps it was something else she meant to miss. Flipping forward in the book never did her any good, as it could just provide real-time details of whatever Miaka was doing, as they must have been bound to some kind of sense of time. It was nice to have the book and be able to get updates on her, and sometimes Yui would be mentioned in the main character's thoughts. It was a comfort to know that she wasn't forgotten, but Miaka was growing up, and thinking of her childhood friend less and less. Yui periodically wondered about her own warriors, too, but so long as Miaka was the focus of the writings, it would not tell her much.

After putting the book away, she leaned back at her desk and sighed. _Seiryuu… this book has changed my life so much. I'd like to think I've changed for the better. I feel capable of so much more in my life now… but…_

It was lonely.

She usually felt happy for Miaka, but there were still many times when she resented that she ever went into the book in the first place. And to be completely honest, hearing about who was having however many children didn't interest her much. Doing well in school and hearing about who was dating which boy was more interesting to a high schooler.

Poor Doukun. He'd never have the chance to find any interest in any of that, or do well. And Suboshi… well, it was a good thing that he didn't attend a high school in her world, because he'd probably get in too much trouble for his temper.

Oh, no. She hadn't meant to start getting sentimental; she'd have to wash her skirt now before school tomorrow to get the tear stains off.

_Lady Yui…_

She gasped quickly, then quickly removed the earring and held it in her palm. "Nakago?"

_Yes?_

She smiled happily. "It _is _you!"

_It sounded like you were crying, but it didn't sound like there was any reason for it._

"Oh, it's nothing," she wiped away her tears, even though he couldn't see them anyway. "How are you? What is Kutou like now?"

…_Fruitful._

"You, or Kutou?"

_Kutou._

Oh, good. Not everyone was popping out babies, then. "How is Soi? Is she still happy?"

_Almost sickeningly so. She found where the royal treasures were kept, and has been dressing more decadently than necessary all this time. And then whenever I have a quiet moment, she's all over me._

"Quiet moments? But there should be plenty… after all, Kutou is still peaceful, right? Isn't it?"

_Yes. It's _very _quiet._

"Oh," she smiled, "that's good then. You almost sound bored."

_I haven't been aging. I am not be able to use my powers any more, but I am still a god. I might turn out to be an immortal emperor after all._

"But isn't that good? It'll be mean more stability for the rest of the country. Just think of what a great economy you'll have."

_I'll be here to see everything. I don't have to think of it._

His tone sounded just a little sad. If he was immortal, then he really would see everything. Even if Yui were to outlive Miaka by many years, and just read as her life flashes by and she grows old, Nakago will outlive her even longer. That would be terrible… at least Nakago would only watch over her through an earring, but he'd have to watch as the difference between him and Soi would be become obvious.

_Perhaps if I had more foresight…_

Did he mean to say that he was wrong?

_No. I wouldn't have done anything differently. _

Another sigh. The immortal Nakago would probably need many, many years to change.

"Well, I'm doing just fine," she changed the subject. "Could you please tell Soi that I'm dating a nice young man? I'm sure she's curious."

_Courting, Lady Yui?_

"No, just dating."

Perhaps it was hard to tell if there was a difference. "Never mind. Given how times moves slower here, it'll probably be many more years before you can tell her anything like that. Anyway, I should start studying now."

_That's what you usually do. _

"Then I'm no different after all, am I?" she smiled. "Thank you, Nakago. Good bye."

* * *

**Author Notes: **It's been quite a ride, as I thought of this fic about two or three years ago, and now it's finished. Wow. So much for my 'epic'.

A huge thank you to Alicia, I never would have written any of it without you!

For those of you who have been reading since the beginning, your patience with me is amazing. For those of you who came in along the way and gave me reviews so often, I love you for it! And those of you who read but never said a thing... well, you're cool, too. I do have some more FY writings in the works, and of course, I'd be flattered if you read some of my other- SHORTER!- FY fics. Enough of my self-plugging, thank you all so much for reading this far! You're awesomeAppa

* * *


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